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A UTHOR:
BUSINGER, L C.
TITLE:
A CHURCH HISTORY
PLACE:
NEW YORK
DATE:
1881
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Businger, L. C
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New York.JrbBenziger Brothers, JiclSSl
^512 p.
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f "In the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in heaven,
on earth, and under the earth."— Phil. ii. 10.
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" In the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in heaven,
on earth, and under the earth."— Phil. ii. 10.
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Adapted from the Original of
Rev. L. C. BUSINGER, bv
RICHARD BRENNAN, LL.D.
New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis s
BENZIGER BROTHERS,
Printers to the Holy Apostolic See.
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Rev. L. C. BUSINGER, bv " ^'
Rey. RICHARD BRENNAN, LL.D.
New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis i
BENZIGER BROTHERS,
Printers to th« Holy Apostolic See.
1/^
!
»
imprimattir.
JoHi^, Cardinal McCloskey,
Archbishof> of A'eTt/ York.
Copyright, t88i, by Bb?:«g^r Brot„pi«.
LETTER
OF
The Right Rev, Bishop Lachat
TO THE REV. AUTHOR OF
"^fl/t^bt 141. e||i;>
c
1/M/^
d^.^
-^a^-ga^-
Your book, " Christ in His Church," is to me a new evidence
that you have taken earnestly and deeply to heart the advice of Holy
jj Scripture: " The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge." Like the
discerning and untiring bee, you select the fairest and most fragrant
flowers in God's garden, and from them extract the sweet and
wholesome honey of instruction and edification, to heal many infirmi-
ties in the souls of men. Your sermons and writings, but more
especially your " Illustrated Bible History," and your elegant and
eloquent "Life of Christ," are brilliant proofs that you, ''quasi apis
arsumentosa Domino deservisii ! "
The honorable impulses of your kind heart lead you towards the
youth in God's Church, to prepare for their minds and hearts, such in-
tellectual food as will serve to build them up in vigorous and manly
virtue. Hence, all your literary efforts point towards that divine Mas-
ter who loved to bestow His tenderest care upon the young. Jesus
Christ, the Origin and Completion of our faith, the Foundation of our
Christian Church, is the Sun of inspiration, whence emanate the power
of your acute intellect and your glowing, opulent fancy. In your
description of His sacred character, in your profound conception and
animated presentation of His divine economy, this peculiar talent of
yours has reached a high development — I may say, complete perfection.
Am I not right in telling you this? Should not the bishop, who is the
father of his clergym^, be proud and rejoice at the talent and success
nen, be proud and re
II
of his priests? Should he withhold well-merited praise, for fear that
the person thus praised might be injured in his own vain and idle self-
complacency? Certainly not. for whatever ability we may possess is
the free gift of God, and only the fool wonders at his own success
"Christ ,n His Church" is the outward expression of a pro-
found and brilliant conception, a historical commentary on those sub-
hme words of St. Paul: "J*sb» Chrot yesterday, and today; and the
same forever."
Is not the divine person of Jesus Christ what Bossuet so elegantly
describes, the central focus in which centre and unite all the grand
epochs of the world's history, on both sides of Calvary ? Was not all
that holiness which shone so brightly in the towering characters of the
Patriarchs and Prophets, the bright dawning of the light of the Saviour.
who is the source of all spiritual light and beauty ?
Did not Christ live, through faith and love and hope, in those en-
lightened men presented to us in the Old Testament, from Noe Abra-
ham and Moses, down to St. John the Baptist ? If, then. Jesus Christ
lived in the Church of the Old Law, which Church, according to the
saymg of St. Epiphanius. " is the beginning of all things, the Catholic
Church," how much more striking and abundant must His life present
Itself in the Church of the New Dispensation ? " I am come that they
may have life, and may have it more abundantly." in that Church
which .s illuminated by the light of the Eucharistic Sun. and enlight-
ened and vivified by the Holy Spirit of truth and wisdom ! Hence
It IS that St. Paul points out this Church as the "Body of Christ " of
which, by virtue of Baptism, we are living members, " flesh of his flesh
and bone of his bone ;" so that he exclaims in an ecstacy of holy joy'
"I hve. now not I, but Christ in me." With far better right than
that of the Apostle Paul, may the Church as such, as the Bride of
Christ, purchased by the precious blood of her bridegroom, apply those
words to herself, and" exclaim: Christ lives in me by the miraculous
power of his love and wisdom.
Guided by the light of this fundamental truth, you have studied
the annals of Church history, and asked yourself, if Christ, the Risen
and Immortal One, continues to live for all ages in his Church how
does He manifest his divine life ? This question you answer in a man-
ner as eloquent as it is simple, or rather, eloquent because it is simple
by giving us a series of striking pictures— a series of stations, so to
speak, not merely Biblical stations, but a series of Church historical
stations, inseparably joined to the Biblical, such as Bethlehem, Naza-
reth, Egypt, the Land of Judea and Galilee, Mount Tabor, the Supper
Room, Mount Olivet, Calvary, and even the glorious Sepulchre. You
have led us in spirit to all these stations, and showed us how the mys-
teries of all these stations still flow from the continued life of Christ,
and continue ever to be renewed in the life of His Church.
Thus, you have succeeded in bringing back to its principle of Unity
the boundless scope of Church history, and in reducing to an order
satisfactory to the understandings and the hearts of all, all that the
Church has done for the enlightenment of minds, for the purifying and
elevation of souls, for the happiness of families, and for the blessing
and prosperity of nations.
Dogma, Moral, Liturgy, hierarchy, Church law, monasticism, the
arts and sciences, the history of the saints, and then the gigantic con-
tests which the Church maintained triumphantly against the onslaught
of falsehood, of brute force, of pride and of all the human and diaboli-
cal passions arrayed against her. All this you have set forth in ten
striking tableaux, in each and every one of which Jesus Christ is the
bright central figure.
Solid in its contents, original in its plan, and, according to the
judgement of those who understand such things, dignified and com-
prehensive in its style, your book will prove of invaluable service not
only "for families and schools," to whom you very appropriately
dedicate it, but also to all earnest Catholics, and most probably too,
to individuals who are without the fold, and still in search of the Way,
the Truth and the Life.
That its readers will be countless, I am quite certain, and in anti
cipation, I rejoice thereat, both for their sake and for yours.
It may be that some readers would prefer that you had followed
a strictly chronological order, in a work so pre-eminently historical.
But these will soon admit that your plan of grouping together facts
which bear to each other close relations, is far better for preserving a
true and striking picture, especially for children, than the chronological
method, usually followed in our large compendiums of history. More-
over, I was glad to discover that in your appendix you have made a
successful effort to comply with the wishes of such critics, by adding to
the book a "Chronological Review" whose comparative fulness and
scope, in a limited space, furnish another forcible proof of your extra-
ordinary management of such diversified and widely-scattered material.
Again, I may congratulate you on havmg secured for the publication
of your work such intelligent and skillful publishers. For assuredly,
it is not enough for an author to have written a master piece of literature.
How grieved and disgusted he must become, when his book appears,
and form, paper, type, illustrations and binding disappoint his expec-
tations.
Fortunately, you are spared such disappointment. In the Benziger
Brothers of Einsiedeln you have found worthy and spirited cooperators,
whose high merit indeed consists not only in their art of setting forth a
book with taste and splendor, but far more in the tendency of their
work to faith and the true culture of the heart and soul.
May the Almighty God preserve and strengthen in your heart tlie
love of Jesus Christ and of his Church Such is the real reward of
your labors, which I wish you, for in that are contained all the other
blessings of heaven. Please accept this wish as z pledge of my affec-
tionate esteem and fatherly regard.
^h EUGENE, Bishop of Basel. '
Lucerne, on the /east of the Apparition o/
St. Michael the Archangel^ 1879.
Baltimore June 6, 1881.
This book in my judgment is well adapted for the use of Schools,
and is calculated to impress upon youthful minds a knowledge of the
salient points of Ecclesiastical History, and a profound reverence for the
championsof the faith, who in every age have illustrated the Church by
their heroism, their learning, and their Apostolic lives
+ JAMES GIBBONS,
Archbishop of Baltimore.
«♦*
St. Paul, June 22, 1881.
This book is a compendium of most useful information for Catho-
lics in general, comprising as it does in brief compass and admirable
plan the variform life of the Church in history, in dogma, and moral
teachings, in sacraments, in liturgy, in hierarchy and religious orders,
in saints and holy doctors, in arts and science, in persecutions and
trials and in triumphs, showing in all these the presence and workings
of Christ and the Holy Spirit in and with the Church. The work is
a valuable addition to our English Catholic literature.
•i- THOMAS L. GRACE,
Bishop of St. Paul.
Marysville, June 5, 1881.
Accept my sincere thanks for the last woric which you had the kind-
ness to send me, your Church History translated by the gifted Dr.
Brennan from the original of the Rev. L C. Businger, author of the
exquisite "Life of Christ." It is only the Divine Founder of the
Church that lives in her. Unlike the founders of the empires of this
world ; unlike the Alexanders and Csesars, and Napoleons, whose
dynasties expired with themselves, the Heavenly Founder of the Catholic
Church, still lives and reigns in Her. In vain have the rulers of this
darksome world, assailed and persecuted the Church of Christ for
upwards of 1800 years. The blood of the eleven millions of her mar-
tyred children, has been the fruitful seed which propagated the faith
of Christ. In a word the perusal of your History is sufficient to con-
vince any impartial reader that the Catholic Church is a Divine institu-
tion, and the only one which fulfils and verifies the words of Christ.
•' The gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
+ E. O'CONNELL,
Bishop of Grass Valley.
An admirable compendium of Ecclesiastical history.
^ T. MULLEN.
Bishop of Erie.
London, Ont., June 3, 1881.
• * * I find it an excellent work of its kind, presenting the
facts of Church history in a clear, concise, and yet comprehensive,
manner. It is an interesting, edifying, and instructive book, admir-
ably adapted for the use of Catholic families and as a prize-book
for our Colleges and Convents. I wish it an extensive circulation.
+ JOHN WALSH,
Bishop of London.
«♦>
Buffalo, June 13, i88i.
I am pleased to see the work of Fr. Businger in an English dress.
It is a valuable addition to our English Catholic literature.
+ S. V. RYAN,
Bishop of Buffalo.
New York, June 9, i88i.
I hare received exemplar of the work, a Catholic Church history,
edited by you, with the imprimatur of His Em. Cardinal McCloskey!
This highly instructive and interesting work I consider very useful
for family use, and therefore I heartily recommend it to the faithful
of my Diocese.
+ FRANCIS MORA,
Bishop of Montery and Los Angeles, Cal.
«» »
P» Cloud, Minn., June 9, 1881.
You liad the kindness to send me a copy of Fr. Brennan's transla-
tion of Father Businger's "Church History," for which accept my
thanks. Fr. Businger's name as the author, and Fr. Brennan's as the
translator, are in itself a great recommendation, and still more so is
Bishop Lachat's letter. - I must say that I wish it may have a large
circulation in this country. It is short but contains all the essen-
tials and is as instructive as it is edifying.
4- RUPERT SEIDENBUSH, O. S. B.
Bishop.
•■»»'
Natchez, June 3, 1881.
Whatever comes from the pen of Father Businger is well written.
The reading of this book makes a Catholic feci proud to belong to a
Church, which in time of persecution and peace is evidently the work
of God.
F. JANSSEN,
Bishop of A atcehz.
OONTEI^TS.
PACIE
Preface :
Chapter I.— The Church and Her History.
1. What the Church is H
2. Why the Church is the Pillar and Ground of Truth 16
3. What is Church History ? 21
4. Whence are derived the Truthful and Genuine Itecitals
of Church History ? 23
5. False Church History T 25
Cil\pter II.— History of the Christian Missions.
6. The First Congregation at Jerusalem 27
7. The Life and Mission of St. Peter 29
8. The Couversion of St. Paul 32
9. The Missionary Labors of St. Paul 34
10. Iniprisonmeut and Execution of St. Paul 38
11. The Missionary Labors of the Other Apostles 41
12. The Growth of the Church in Europe 45
13. The History of the Church in Asia 55
14 The History of the Church in Africa 60
15. What America owes to the Catholic Church 62
16. The Church planted in America— Its Growth 67
17. The History of the Church in Australia 73
18. The Catholic World 74
Chapter III.— The History op Catholic Worship.
19. What is Catholic Worship ? 78
20. Places of Worship 79
21. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass 83
22. The History of Baptism 87
23. The History of Confirmation 89
Vlll
CONTENTS.
I >
I
PAGE
24. The History of the Holy Eucharist 90
25. The History of the Sacranieut of Peiianc:' 92
26. The History of Extreme Unction 94
27. The History of Matrimony 95
28. The History of Holy Orders 98
29. The History of Sunday 99
30. The History of the Festivals of Our Lord 101
31. The Festivals of the Blessed Virgin 106
32. The Festivals of the Saints 109
CmvpTER rV.— The History op the Teaching-Office in the
Church.
88. The Church Fathers 114
34. The Four Great Fathers of the Western Church 119
35. The Four Great Fathers of the Eastern Chui-ch 121
36. The History of the Church Councils 123
37. History of the Twenty'^eneral Councils 125
38. The Infallibility of the Pope 128
Chapter V.— The History of the Hierarchy, of Church
Rights, and of Church Penalties.
39. The Kingly Office in the Church 132
40. The Hierarchy 133
41. The History of Church Rights 137
42. Selection and Appointment of the Clergy— Their Main-
tenance 142
43. The History of Church Temporalities 145
44. The Temporal Power of the Popes 147
Chapter VI.— The History of Religious Orders.
45. Holiness in the Catholic Church 154
46. History of Monastic Life in General 156
47. History of the Benedictines 160
48. History of the Crusades 162
49. History of the Franciscans 168
50. History of the Dominicans 171
51. TheJesuits 172
52. The Redemptorists 175
CONTENTS.
IX
PA0B
53. History of the Religious Bodies dedicated to Schools, or
to the Care of the Sick and Destitute 176
54. Concluding Remarks on the History of Monastic Life. . 184
Chapter VII.— The History of the Saints.
55. The Martyr Saints 187
56. History of the Bishops 191
57. History of the Priesthood 194
58. The Saintly Hermits 195
59. The Royal Saints 198
60. The Saintly Workmen. *. 202
61. The Saintly Farmers and Shepherds 204
62. The Saintly Matrons. 207
63. The Virgin Saints 210
Chapter VIII.— The History of Heresy and its Aggres-
sions.
64. Nature and Origin of Heresy 214
65. Heresies concerning Creation 216
66. Heresies against the Blessed Trinity 218
67. Heresies against the Divine Person of Jesus Christ. ... 220
68. Heresies concerning Grace 221
69. Iconoclasm 222
70. The Greek Schism 223
71. The Albigenses and Gatherers 224
72. The Hussites 226
73. The So-called Reformation 228
74. Catholic and Protestant Teachings 231
75. Martin Luther 234
76. Ulrich Zwingli 236
77. John Calvin 237
78. The Effects of the Reformation 238
79. The False Liberalism of our Day 241
Chapter IX.— The History of the Persecutions.
80. Persecutions from the Jews 245
81. The Ten Roman Persecutions 249
82. Persecutions by the Emperors of the East 251
83. Persecutions in the Middle Ages 252
84. Modern Persecutions 255
85. The Church and the Governments in Modern Times. . . 257
ii
X CONTENTS.
Chapter X.-The Triumph and Glory op the Catholic
Church.
PAOB
86. The Triumphant Existence of nearly Nineteen Hundred
Years 262
87. The Triumph of the Church in her Martyrs 265
88. The Triumph of the Church over Heathen Powers 267
89. Triumph of the Church over the Barbarians in the Days
of the Northern Invasions 270
90. Triumph of the Church in the Persons of her great Pon-
tiffs 271
91. Triumphs of the Church over the Heresies 274
92. Triumph of the Church in her Conversions — The Con-
veris ...•••* « « , ,, litv
93. Triumph of the Church in the Arts and Sciences 278
v/onciusion. . . • • . •••••. a ««««■••••«. •(*■,«. « ^% •. 4- • n, ■ . . . aoI
94. Retrospect of Church History, according to Ages and
Centuries.. •••••••• ^. 285
i
CHAPTER L
THE CHURCH AND HER HISTORY.
I. What the Church is.
"Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of
the world." — Matthew xxviii. 20.
WHEN we read in the Now Testament how our be-
loved Lord Jesus Christ " went about doing good "
in the land of Judea, preaching heavenly truths, imparting
saving grace to men of good will, and infusing peace into
the hearts of all, Ave are apt to indulge in feelings of
regret that we too did not live in those happy days, that
we were not permitted to enjoy his sacred presence and
to hearken to his voice.
Although, under tlie guidance of the holy Evangelists,
we may in spirit accompany the Kedeemer all through his
earthly life from Bethlehem to Calvary; although we may
see him attesting and sealing his words of truth and his
works of power and mercy by his atoning death on the
cross, we are apt to ask ourselves: AVhat is Christ to us,
or to all the generations who have lived and died during
the long lapse of time since he dwelt upon earth? No
one of our generation has looked upon him Avith corpo-
real eyes. No one of us has heard the words of wisdom
uttered by his sacred tongue, or felt the touch of his
blessed, grace-imi)arting hand. We have not been per-
mitted to stand with Mary and John and Magdalen under
the cross, nor to be sprinkled like them with his saving
blood. He has ascended into heaven, and now sits in
fiif
12
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
WHAT THE CHURCH IS.
13
tinapproacliable majesty at the right hand of his Father,
whilst we are living in exile upon earth. How then can
we have any share in the truth, blessings, and graces of
this Christ?
Our question is a vain and foolish one. If we but
look with the eye of faith, we shall soon and easily discover
that this same Christ, with all the fulness of his wisdom,
power, and mercy, is still living in our midst, as he
promised to do. "Behold, I am with you all days, even
Our Saviour appoints St. Peter the head of the Church.
to the consummation of the world," is the consoling
assurance that falls from his own divine lips.
Let us therefore examine and study carefully the plan
adopted by our Saviour whereby he continues still to
dwell on earth, forwarding the work of salvation in all
lands and during all time.
What method has Christ followed in order to effect
this object?
He delegated his threefold office and character — namely,
his teaching office, his priesthood, and his kingly authority
— to a number of chosen men, in union with whom he con-
tinues to act as Teacher, Priest, and King to the end of
time.
It was in this threefold character, that Christ effected
our salvation. He redeemed us as Teacher, as Priest,
and as King: as Teacher, by preaching heavenly wisdom;
as Priest, by the atoning sacrifice offered upon the cross;
and as King, by enacting and inculcating 'laws or com-
mandments. As Teacher, he rescued us from spiritual
blindness by giving us the truth of heaven; as divine-
human Priest, he redeemed us from the guilt of sin by
offering himself in sacrifice on Mount Calvary; as God-
man-king, he saved us, by his maxima and commandments,
from the folly and wickedness of life.
This triple office he committed solemnly to a body of
chosen men, a short time before his departure from earth.
This truth can be plainly proven from holy Scripture.
The divine Teacher sent forth his Apostles to preach to
all nations, to teach all truth as he had imparted it to
them, and to teach it with the same authority and infal-
lible certainty as he himself taught it : ** He who hears
you hears me."
Our divine High-priest, on the eve of his Passion, in-
stituted and offered up, in a mysterious manner and by
anticipation, the saving sacrifice of the cross, saying:
** This is my body which shall be delivered for you, this
is my blood which shall be shed for you." He committed
to the hands of the Apostles for all time to come this holy
sacrifice of his body and blood, saying: " Do this," as I
have just done, "in commemoration of me." He gave to
the Apostles power to baptize, to forgive sins, to bless; in
a word, to so dispense gi-aces in his name, that these same
Apostles were able to say later of themselves with truth,
and with a consciousness of their power and dignity:
" Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ;
12
CllKlST IN HIS CHUKCH.
iinapproacliable majesty at the right hand of his Father,
whilst we are living in exile u])on earth. How then can
we have any share in tlie truth, blessings, and graces of
this Christ?
Our question is a vain and foolish one. If we but
look with the eye of faith, we shall soon and easily discover
that this same Christ, with all the fulness of his wisdom,
|iower, and mercy, is still living in our midst, as he
promised to do. *' Behold, 1 am with you all days, even
Our Saviour appoints St. Peter the head of the Church.
to the consummation of the world," is the consoling
assurance that falls from his own divine lips.
Let us therefore examine and study carefully the plan
adoi)ted l)y our Saviour wliereby lie continues still to
dwell on earth, forwarding the work of salvation in all
lands and during all time.
What method has Christ followed in order to effect
this object?
Hedelegiitedhis threefold office and character — namely,
WHAT THE CHURCH IS.
13
his teaching office, his priesthood, and his kingly authority
— to a number of chosen men, in union with whom he con-
tinues to act as Teacher, Priest, and King to the end of
time.
It was in this threefold character, that Christ effected
our salvation. He redeemed us as Teacher, as Priest,
and as King: as Teacher, by preaching heavenly wisdom;
as Priest, by the atoning sacrifice offered upon the cross;
and as King, by enacting and inculcating laws or com-
mandments. As Teacher, he rescued us from spiritual
blindness by giving us the truth of heaven; as divine-
human Priest, he redeemed us from the guilt of sin by
offering himself in sacrifice on Mount Calvary; as God-
man-king, he saved us, by his maxims and commandments,
from the follv and wickedness of life.
This triple office he committed solemnly to a body of
chosen men, a short time before his dei)arture from earth.
This truth can be i)lainly proven from holy Scripture.
The divine Teacher sent forth his Apostles to preach to
all nations, to teach all truth as he had imparted it to
them, and to teach it with the same authority and infal-
lible certainty as he himself taught it: '^ He who hears
you hears me."
Our divine Iligh-priest, on the eve of his Passion, in-
stituted and offered up, in a mysterious manner and by
anticipation, the saving sacrifice of the cross, saying :
"This is my body which shall be delivered for you, this
is mv blood which shall be shed for vou." He committed
to the hands of the Apostles for all time to come this holy
sacrifice of his body and ])lood, saying: ''Do this," as I
have just done, "in commemoration of me." He gave to
the Apostles power to baptize, to forgive sins, to bless; in
a word, to so dispense graces in his name, that these same
Apostles were able to say later of themselves with truth,
aiul with a consciousness of their power and dignity:
" Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ;
14
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
WHAT THE CHURCH IS.
15
and the dispensers of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor.
iv. 1).
Finally, our divine King transmitted his spiritual
prerogatives of royalty to the Apostles, with the words:
** All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. As
the Father sent me, so I send you." It was by virtue of
this charge that the Apostles prescribed for all the nations
to whom they preached all those laws and regulations,
and established all those institutions, which they deemed
. The Apostles are appointed Shepherds of the Flock.
necessary for the spiritual welfare,* or conducive to the
eternal salvation, of men.
Hence we see clearly that although Christ has retiirned
to heaven, he has not left us orphans, but has been
* These laws and ordinances of tlie Apostles and their successors
appertain to spiritual things, and not to civil affairs nor civic regula-
tions. If, therefore, the management of political affairs has been
in the hands of ecclesiastics from time to time, it was in conse-
quence of divirve providence, or on account of the confidence which
Catholic princes and peoples reposed in their clergy.
pleased to remain mystically with us, carrying on, through
his Apostles as his chosen instruments, his threefold
office of Redeemer till the end of time. In union with
St. Peter, their visible Head, the Apostles were to trav-
erse the earth, preaching, dispensing graces, ordaining,
and becoming fishers of men, in order to bring all men to
a share in the benefits of truth, grace, and salvation
through Christ. They were to unite them to Jesus him-
self in oneness of life, and to join them together in one
large and glorious mystical body, of which Christ was to
be the invisible Head.
Such was the duty imposed by Christ on his Apostles.
But the Apostles were mortal, and died, one after the other,
during the first century of Christianity, whilst the three-
fold office of teacher, priest, and ruler committed to them
by Christ should endure till the end of time. Hence it
is clear that when the divine Founder of our Church im-
parted this threefold power to his Apostles in order to
perpetuate his Church, he meant not only the twelve
men standing there and then in his presence. His
divine gaze extended to all their lawful successors, the
Popes, bishops, and priests to the end of the world,
as if they all stood in his presence when he spoke. In
this sense it was that he said to them all: *' Lo, I am with
you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
The Apostles, therefore, and their legitimate successors
are the persons to whom Christ entrusted the duty of
forming in his name, among all nations and in all ages,
a holy community or spiritual society; or, rather, of ex-
tending and strengthening the original society established
by himself.
This spiritual society, consisting originally of the
Apostles, disciples, and a few devout believers, became
like the mustard-seed of the ]mrable, a great tree whose
branches were spread over all the earth. And this is the
universal or Catholic Church, in 'which Christ, by the
ii
14
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
and the dispensers of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor.
Finally, our divine King transmitted his spiritual
prerogatives of royalty to the Apostles, with the words:
"All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. As
the Futher sent me, so I send you." It was by virtue of
this charge that the Apostles prescribed for all the nations
to whom they preached all those laws and regulations,
and established all those institutions, which they deemed
. The Apostles are appointed Shepherds of the Flock.
necessary for the spiritual welfare,* or conducive to the
©ternal salvation, of men.
Hence we see clearly that although Christ has returned
to heaven, he has not left us orphans, but has been
* These laws and ordinances of the Apostles and their successors
appertain to spiritual thini^s. and not to civil affairs nor civic reirula-
tions. If. therefore, the raanafl^ement of political affairs has been
in the hands of ecclesiastics from time to time, it was in conse-
quence of divine providence, or on account of the confidence which
Catholic princes and peoples reposed in their clergy.
WHAT THE CHURCH IS.
15
pleased to remain mystically with us, carrying on, through
his Apostles as his chosen instruments, his threefold
office of Redeemer till the end of time. In uiuon with
St. Peter, their visible Head, the Apostles were to trav-
erse the earth, preaching, dispensing graces, ordaining,
and becoming fishers of men, in order to bring all men to
a share in the benefits of truth, grace, and salvation
through Christ. They were to unite them to Jesus him-
self in oneness of life, and to join them together in one
large and glorious mystical body, of which Christ was to
be the invisible Head.
Such was the duty imposed by Christ on his Apostles.
But the Apostles were mortal, and died, one after the other,
during the first century of Christianity, whilst the three-
fold office of teacher, priest, and ruler committed to them
by Christ should endure till the end of time. Hence it
is clear that when the divine Founder of our Church im-
parted this threefold power to his Apostles in order to
perpetuate his Church, he meant not only the twelve
men standing there and then in his presence. His
divine gaze extended to a!! their lawful successors, the
Popes, bishops, and priests to the end of the world,
as if they all stood in his presence when he spoke. In
this sense it was that he said to them jiU: *' Lo, I am with
you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
The Apostles, therefore, and their legitimate successors
are the persons to whom Christ entrusted the duty of
forming in his name, among all nations and in all ages,
a holy community or spiritual society; or, rather, of ex-
tending and strengthening the original society established
by himself.
This spiritual society, consisting originally of the
Apostles, disciples, and a few devout believers, became
like the mustard-seed of the i^arable, a great tree whose
branches wTre spread over all the earth. And this is the
universal or Catholic Church, in which Christ, by the
in
N
I
I:i
16
CHRIST IN lilS CHURCH.
instrumentality of liis Apostles and their successors, per-
petuates forever his work of salvation and applies it to
each individual soul. His truth, his saving grace, his
redeeming sacrifice, all his merits as God-man from his
birth to his death — these are the glorious treasures of this
society, the riches of that grand corporation in which
each member, who has been duly admitted by baptism, has
a right to participate. Therefore, when we speak of the
Church we understand that holy society in which Jesus
Christ exercises throughout all ages, by the instrumental-
ity of the Apostles and their successors, the bishops and
priests, his threefold office of Teacher, Priest, and King.
If the Church were a mere association of persons
holding the same tenets, differing in no way from any other
human society, It would not be the '* mysterium fidei," or
the mystical body of Christians united to Christ. But
the Church embraces, besides the visible — that is to say,
the laity of all nations and their ecclesiastical authorities
— also the Invisible ; namely, the inheritance of Christ's
merits and the merits of his Saints, the treasures of truth
and goodness, as well as supernatural guidance. It thus
becomes a sublime mystery of faith, and hence the Chris-
tian can truthfully say, and with meaning, **I believe in
one Holy Catholic Church."
J.
2. Why the Church is the Pillar and Ground of
Truth. Why she shall always continue such.
•* The bouse of God, which is the Church of the living God, the
pillar and ground of the truth." — 1 Timothy iii. 15.
It is beyond all doubt that our divine Founder en-
trusted to the Apostles and their successors the duty and
the power of directing his holy Church in sanctity and
truth, and of leading all men into her fold. They had a
very difficult and onerous duty to perform. The work
■^'
THE CHURCH THE PILLAR OF TRUTH. 17
was far above human strength and sagacity, while the
Apostles themselves, as well as their successors, the
bishops and priests of the Church, were mere men, liable
to death and sin, and exposed to error and changes. How
could such incapable men accomplish this superhuman
task? And granting that the Apostles had been confirmed
in their faith, in sanctity of life, in zeal for God's king-
dom upon earth, by Jesus Christ himself, and hence
succeeded in preservmg pure and unchanged his saSred
legacy of truth and holiness among the nations of their
times, how could their successors in the course of cen-
turies be expected to enjoy similar strength and holiness ?
Whence were they to draw it ? Alas ! poor human nature
is sadly prone to whims, to passion, to instability and
change. And will not this corruption of human nature
80 affect the leaders in God's Church that in a few years
after the death of the Apostles the work of Christ will
languish, die, and be forgotten ?
How many societies have been established within the
lapse of eighteen hundred years, many with the very best
and most laudable ends in view; founded, too, in the
wisdom and experience of wise men, and carried on with
prudence and sagacity ! Yet in the course of time evil
crept in, they changed, became corrupt, fell to pieces, and
have long since been forgotten even in history. Will not
the society of the Church encounter a similar fate?
Certainly not; for, glory, honor, and praise be to God!
this society has not only been founded by Christ, but he
has moreover infused into it for all time a divine vital
power. He has sent truly his own Holy Spirit, as is
related in the Acts of the Apostles in the following words
of the Evangelist St. Luke:
"And when the days of the Pentecost were accom-
plished, they were all together in one place. And sud-
denly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty
wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they
fn'
J
18
CHKIST IN HIS CHURCH.
were sitting. And there appeared to them parted
tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of
them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
they began to speak with divers tongues according as the
Holy Ghost gave them to speak. Now there were dwell-
ing at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation
under heaven. And when this was noised abroad, the
multitude came together, and were confounded in mind.
The Descent of the Holy Ghost.
'because that every man heard them speak in his own
tongue. And they were all amazed, and wondered, say-
ing : Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans,
and how have we heard every man our own tongue
wherein we were born ? Parthians, and Medes, and
Elamites, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Jude.i, and
Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya about Gyrene, and strangers
. of Kome, Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians;
THE CHURCH THE PILLAR OF TRUTH.
19
we have heard them speak in our own tongues the won-
derful works of God. And they were all astonished, and
wondered, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
But others mocking, said: These men are full of new
wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleverf, liftea up
his voice and spoke to them; Ye men of Judea, and all
jou that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and
with your ears receive my words; for these are not drunk,
as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the
day. But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet
Joel: And it shall come to pass, in the last days (saith
the Lord), I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed, and upofl
my handmaids, will I pour out in those days of my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did
by him in the midst of you, as you also know; this same,
being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and fore-
knowledge of God, you, by the hands of wicked men,
have crucified and slain. This Jesus hath God raised
again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being exalted there-
fore by the right hand of God, and having received of
the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured
forth this which you see and hear.'X
From all this, we cau understand why the Catholic
Church is the only one among all the institutions upon
the earth that remains unchanged and unchangeable;
why, with her, truth has never been adulterated or ob-
scured, even in the ages of darkest ignorance in the
world; why her saving graces, amid all the corruptions of
men, have never been weakened nor diminished. She
was made immortal for all time by the infusion of God's
breath, the Holy Ghost, on the day of Pentecost. Yes,
k
nrr
\\
I
18
CHKIST IN HIS CIIUECII.
were sitting. And there appeared to them parted
tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of
them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
they began to speak with divers tongues according as the
Holy Ghost gave them to speak. Now there were dwell-
ing at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation
under heaven. And when this was noised abroad, the
multitude came together, and were confounded in mind.
The Descent of the Holy Ghost.
because lliat every man heard them speak in his own
tongue. And they were all amazed, and wondered, say-
ing: Beliold, are not all these that speak Galileans,
and how have we heard every man our own tongue
wherein we were born ? Parthians, and Medes, and
Elamites, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and
Oappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers
of Eome, .Tews also, and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians;
wr
^^'
THE CHURCH THE PILLAR OF TRUTH.
19
we have heard them speak in our own tongues the won-
derful works of God. And they were all astonished, and
wondered, saying one to another. What meaneth this?
But others mocking, said: These men are full of new
wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up
his voice and spoke to them: Ye men of Judea, and all
you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and
with your ears receive my words; for these are not drunk,
as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the
day. But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet
Joel: And it shall come to pass, in the last days (saitli
the Lord), I will pour out of my Sj)irit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed, and upon
my handmaids, will I pour out in those days of my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did
by him in the midst of you, as you also know; this same,
being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and fore-
knowledge of God, you, by the hands of wicked men,
have crucified and slain. This Jesus hath God raised
again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being exalted there-
fore by the right hand of God, and having received of
the Father the i)romise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured
forth this which you see and hear.'X
From all this, we can understand why the Catholic
Church is the only one among all the institutions upon
the earth that remains unchanged and unchangeable;
why, with her, truth has never been adulterated or ob-
scured, even in the ages of darkest ignorance in the
world; why her saving graces, amid all the corruptions of
men, have never been weakened nor diminished. She
was made immortal for all time by the infusion of God's
breath, the Holy Ghost, on the day of Pentecost. Yes,
u >
20
;»
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
the Holy Ghost dwells really and truly within her; that
Spirit which renews the face of the earth as the Psalmist
sings; that good and comforting Spirit mentioned in the
book 01 Wisdom; that Spirit of wisdom and under-
standing,*of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and
piety, foretold by Isaias; that Spirit which comes to aid
us in our weakness, as St. Paul writes to the Romans;
that Spirit promised by Christ to his Apostles, who was to
teach them all things and to lead them to all truth.
Since the Catholic Church has really received this Holy
Spirit as her own peculiar life and soul and strength, the
personal faults and failures of her visible rulers and leaders
can do her no real harm.
Although some few weak, unhappy priests may have
gone astray, although even in remote ages of the Church
bishops themselves may have fallen into error and false
opinions, although a few Popes have made lamentable
mistakes individually, nevertheless no general Council of
the Churcli has ever erred, never has any Pope when speak-
ing officially contradicted any Council or any previous
decision of his predecessors in the chair of Peter. Never
has any Pope uttered heresy. The divine power, which
dwells and acts in the Church with mysterious and
miraculous force and wisdom, is able and knows how to
overcome, at all times, decay, error, and vice.*
No! Christ did not wish by any means to extinguish
and annihilate the human in the bosom of his Church.
* That such corruption may taint not only laymen, but even ec-
clesiastics, has never been denied. Thus, in the year 1521, at the
assembly, in Worms, of the German princes, Aleandri. the papal
nuncio, exclaimed plainly: "In Rome itself there have been abuses,
even among prelates. Some of the earlier Popes made mistakes,
some were culpable, some were even wicked. All this is admitted,
not with pride, but with sentiments of humiliation." Then he adds:
•• And yet this Rome it was which a few centuries ago declared the
great St. Bernard to be a saint, although in his writings he had
rebuked and reproved these same vices."
w •
\raAT IS CHURCH HISTORY?
'^I
As by the sending of the Holy Ghost he did not intend
^o dispense and free the Heads of the Church from the
duty of employing the human means of prudence and re-
flection, of study and of worldly cleverness, in order to
settle and fix and decide truth, and guide the Cfliurch; so,
too, he did not see fit to make it impossible for any one
individual person to fall into sin and error. But the Church
herself is always intact, pure, blameless, and immortal, even
if some few individual members perish of error and wicked-
ness. She remains the. pillar and ground of truth, as St.
Paul styles her; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against her. n^
3. What is Church History?
"In the world you shall have distress- but have confidence, I have
overcome the world."— John xvi. 33.
As the holy Evangelists relate the life and actions of Jesus
Christ, so does Church history describe the life and works
of his spouse, who is the Catholic Church. Now as Jesus
Christ continues to live in his Church, it follows that the
history or description of that Church is certainly the mir-
rored reflection of the holy Evangelists. The history of our
divine Redeemer's life is one of continued struggle and
suffering. The same is true of the history of his Church,
and herein lies a powerful and undeniable evidence of the
truth of our beloved Church.
But as Christ, in the midst of this opposition, suffering,
and contest, constantly manifested his glorious divinity,
completed his work, and triumphed over death and hell,
so does Church history exhibit to us, in the midst of per-
secution, conflict, and martyrdom, the triumph of truth ^.^
and grace over the dark powers of this world. '^
1. It shows us how Christ manifested himself to all >-
nations by the preaching of his representatives and
messengers, and how his Church spread throughout all
!'!
■T"^'
22
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
nations. This forms the history of the Christian missions,
or the growth of the Church.
2. It sliows how Christ continues to live in his Church
as the Redeemer and High-priest in the holy sacrifice of
the mass, in the sacraments and other means of grace,
which by a believing people are surrounded with ever-
increasing solemnity, heightened beauty, and significant
ceremonies. This forms the history of divine worship in
the broad sense of the word.
3. It shows how Christ has ever lived in his Church as
Teacher of truth and heavenly wisdom, by leading the
fathers and teachers of that Church into a miraculous
knowledge of the mysteries of his kingdom, by guiding
the Councils through the Holy Ghost, and by saving the
Popes from error in their definitions of faith. This forms
the history of the Fathers of the Church, or of tlie Councils.
4. It shows how Christ has ever reigned in his Church
as King, by clothing his representatives, the priests, ac-
cording to their various ranks with divine authority, and
by maintaining through their instrumentality God's king-
dom on earth in discipline, peace, and tranquillity. This
forms the history of the Hierarchy, of Church rights and
of Church penalties.
5. It shows how Christ has alwavs dwelt in his Church as
the Holy One, by leading individuals to extraordinary holi-
ness, and creating, especially in the monastic life and other
religious associations, schools of the highest virtue and evan-
gelical perfection for those whom he calls to holiness of life.
This forms the history of the saints, and of religious life.
6. It shows how Christ has lived in his Church as the
Despised One, inasmuch as his doctrines have been mis-
represented, denied, and rejected by misguided and wicked
men in all ages as in his own lifetime. This forms the
history of heresy.
7. It shows how Christ has suffered in his Church as the
Crucified, inasmuch as his faithful followers individually,
TRUTHFUL RECITALS OF CHURCH HISTORY.
23
and his holy Church in general, have been, in private
and in public, violently attacked and persecuted, wronged
and misrepresented by declared enemies and treacherous
friends. This forms the history of the persecutions.
8. It shows how, finally, Christ has triumphed in his
Church as the glorious Conqueror. For the Church, even
in the midst of her greatest trials and under severest op-
pression, has won victory after victory, triumph after
triumph; and the miraculous promise of heaven shall be
fulfilled for all time as it has been in the past: "In this
sign of the cross thou shalt conquer." This constitutes
the history of the triumph and glory of the Church.
Such are the contents of Church history.
As the Bible history of the Old Testament describes to
us how the human race was prepared for the Redemption,
and as the Bible history of the New Testament shows us how
the work of that Redemption was actually accomplished, so
does Church history describe that Redemption still going
forward and being accomplished in the Church. It shows
how Christ, even after the lapse of centuries of time, is still
mysteriously going about among men, as their invisible
King and Saviour, and, in spite of the efforts of the
powers of hell and of wicked men, is drawing the elect to
himself, and sanctifying and saving them by the interposi-
tion of the Holy Ghost.
r
4. Whence are derived the Truthful and Genuine
Recitals of Church History?
"Many liave taken in hand to set forth in order a narration of
the things tliat have been accomplished among us: according as they
have delivered them unto us. who from the beginning were eye-wit-
nesses and ministers of the word."— Luke i. 1, 3,
The most ancient of Church historians is St. Luke.
In the Acts of the Apostles he describes, though briefly,
-**■* •_
T
24
CHRIST IK HIS CHURCH.
FALSE CHURCH HISTORY.
35
the lives of the first Christians, the most important
events in the primitive Church, as well as the doings of
some of the Apostles and of their disciples. But the real
father of Church history is Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea,
who died about the year 340. His '* Ten Books of Church
History" are of most incalculable value; for in them he gives
us a quantity of ancient decrees, of lengthy narrations, and
of decisions of Councils from the first three centuries of the
Church; all of which but for his care and industry would
have been irretrievably lost.
The works of the great Church fathers, who for the
most part have put into writing the oral traditions coming
down from the first ages of the Church, contain numerous
well-attested narrations of Church history.
Next to these come the chronicles of pious and learned
bishops and priests who, at the time of the great invasion
of the Dorthern tribes, from the year 350 to 500, and also -
in the middle ages, from the time of Charlemagne, about
the year 800, to the sham reformation in 1518, have set
forth the ecclesiastical events of their respective ages in a
creditable and credible manner.
Besides these we must count the well-preserved decisions
of the ancient Councils of the Church, the Briefs of
Popes, and the antique inscriptions which have been
discovered and deciphered on ecclesiastical and archi-
tectural monuments, especially those discovered in the
Roman catacombs. From all these one may understand
how, even at this late day, we possess positive knowledge
of the early condition of the Church and of events occur-
ring in the earliest ages.
In modern times many able and learned Catholic writ-
ers, from Baronius down to Stolberg, Mohler, Hefele,
Alzog, Rohrbacher, and others, have undertaken, for the
most part in very comprehensive works, to compile Church
histories chiefly based on and drawn from these ancient
decrees. They have thereby merited the gratitude of the
Catholic world. For by their researches they have proved
that many things written, by enemies, against the Popes
and other prominent persons in the Church were misrepre-
sentations and calumnies.
They have thus successfully vindicated the honor and
good name of the Church against these malicious falsifiers.
5. False Church History.
"There shall be a time when they will heap to themselves teach-
ers, having itching ears. These will turn away their hearing from
the truth, but will be turned to fables. But avoid foolish and old
wives'* fables."—! and 3 Timothy 4
In the ninth book of his Church history, Eusebius
relates: ** Under Maximinus the fury of the persecution
against us" — that is to say, the Christians — *' was renewed.
And although he had full power to do as he pleased, hav-
ing lately assumed the dignity and authority of emperor,
yet he wished to keep up an appearance of acting upon
just grounds. For this purpose he caused to be prepared
certain ' Acts ' such as might have been used by Pilate in
his treatment of the Saviour. Into these ' Acts ' were em-
bodied all that could be conceived blasphemous against
Christ. Into all the provinces of his kingdom he sent
these ' Acts,' with the command that they should be dis-
tributed through all the cities, villages, and hamlets. The
School-teachers were ordered to dictate them to the chil-
dren in school, who had to learn them by heart as exercises
for the memory. "
What was here done by Maximinus, the persecutor of
the Christians, has been practised against the Church in
all ages by his imitators. Even in very early times here-
tics have endeavored, with cunning and insolence, to
falsify not only the teachings but also the history of the
Church. They have fabricated false ** Acts," and attri-
buted to the authorities of the Church follies and crimes
'^i^
"""^S
26
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
well calculated, if true, to render the clergy both ridicu-
lous and hateful in the eyes of the world.
This contemptible mode of acting was practised to a
great extent, more especially in the latter part of the mid-
dle ages, by certain chroniclers in the pay of governments
or kings who were at variance with the Popes. In this
manner there accumulated in course of time an immense
amount of spurious, unreliable, and disgraceful chron-
icles which, then and during the so-called reformation,
and in the wars which followed, were still further in-
creased and more widely diffused.
Superficial or evil-minded writers seized upon^these
fables and, without questioning their historical value, repro-
duced them in their books. Althougli in our day these
falsifiers of Church history have been unmasked by
learned Catholics and by honorable and truth-loving Pro-
testant writers, yet thousands of unscrupulous novelists
continue to reproduce these fabulous stories about the
Church, merely changing the mode of expression, and
serving up the same unwholesome diet in a later style of
preparation. But the same treatment must be bestowed
by the enemy on the Church as was bestowed of old on her
divine Founder: ** For many bore false witness against him,
and their evidence ifsm not agreeing" (Mark xiv. 56).
CHAPTER II.
IT
THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN
MISSIONS.
CHRIST IS MADE MANIFEST TO ALL NATIONS BY THE
PREACHING OF HIS MESSENGERS. HIS CHURCH IS EX-
TENDED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
6. The First Congregation at Jerusalem.
*• Now, therefore, O my sons, be ye zealous for the law. Call
to remembrance the works of the fathers."— 1 Machabees ii. 50.
CHRIST chose St. Peter to be liis Representative
and the Visible Head of his Church on earth, and
formally appointed him with the words, ''Thou art Peter"
(which means rock), ''and on this rock I will build my
Church, and the gates of hell" (that is to say, the evil
powers of error and vice) " shall not prevail against it.
To thee I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Feed
my lambs. Feed my sheep."
In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, addressed to
the multitude assembled in Jerusalem, St. Peter spoke
with such supernaturally effective powers of persuasion
that many accepted baptism, and the first Christian con-
gregation in a short time numbered five thousand mem-
bers.
In the beginning, the early Christians continued to
observe the Jewish rites, and used to go at stated intervals
to the temple to pray. Soon, however, they began to hold
separate assemblages for worship, at which the Apostles
28
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
used to conduct divine service according to the ordinance
of Christ, and to dispense the sacred mysteries of salva-
The Acts of the Apostles thus describe the mode of
life followed by the members of this first Christian congre-
gation: . • ^v A ^1
** They were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles,
and in the communication of the breaking of bread" (that
is, the holy mass and Communion), 'Sand in prayers.
" Many wonders also and signs were done by the Apos-
tles in Jerusalem. -, i -, n
*' And all they that believed were together, and had all
things commoB. t -j j
" Their possessions and goods they sold and divided
them to all, according as every one had need.
" And continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, they took their
meat with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God,
and having favor with all the people. And the Lord
increased daily together such as should be saved."
Thus, during the first years after Christ's ascension
into heaven, the Apostles remained together in Jerusalem,
partly to fortify the new Christians in their faith and in
a Christian life, and to organize them as a model for
future congregations; partly, also, in order to comfort and
protect the faithful in the persecutions which soon broke
forth, and partly, too, in order to encourage and fortify
each other by the most confidential mutual intercourse,
' and also to prepare each other for the great work of the
mission. -.1.1
For the Church of Christ was not to be confined to the
country of the Jews. The day was approaching when the
Apostles, in obedience to the charge given them by their
divine Master, were to preach the Gospel to all nations,
and to cai-ry the kingdom of Christ to all parts of the
world.
LIFE AND MISSION OF ST. PETER. 29
7. The Life and Mission of St. Peter.
*' The first: Simon who is called Peter. The twelve Jesus sent,
saying: 'Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves.'" —
Matthew x.
What a glorious army of brave and self-sacrificing
spirits rise before our vision as we enter upon the con-
templation and study of the stupendous growth of the
Church of Christ! At their head march Peter and Paul,
with their immediate followers, the Apostles and Evan-
gelists, to be succeeded century after century by hosts of
holy bishops, zealous priests, and devoted monks, all
chosen by God to carry the light of his Gospel into every
quarter of the globe. On the very day of Pentecost this
rapid diffusion of the truth began. For those God-fearing
Jews who had come from many countries, and were then
sojourning in Jerusalem carried the news about Christ
and his Church back to their own homes, and prepared
thousands of eager souls for the reception of the Christian
doctrine, which the Apostles, in pursuance of their high
vocation, would soon carry into every city, town, and
hamlet.
The most glorious of all was the missionary life of St.
Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, at whose first sermon, on
the day of Pentecost, about three thousand persons were
converted and enrolled under the banner of the cross.
And this number was increased soon after to five thou-
sand, on the occasion of the healing of the lame man at
the gate of the temple of Jerusalem.
But the Prince of the Apostles, besides being the first
to establish the Christian Church amid the Jews, had also
the privilege of founding the first Christian congregation
among the Gentiles. Being directed by Heaven to seek
Cornelius, a certain heathen centurion, at Caesarea, Peter
went and preached before him and his household concern.
30
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
LIFE AND MISSION OF ST. PETER.
SI
ing the death and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Ghost
came down upon all those who were listening to the
Apostle's inspired words, and they were converted and
baptized by Peter. Thus he to whom the keys of the
kingdom of heaven had been given was the first to open
the doors of God's kingdom upon earth to the pagan
World. We find him soon after presiding as first bishop
over the first large congregation of converted heathens in
the city of Antioch, where the disciples and followers of
Sta. Peter and Paul in Prison.
Christ were first called Christians. Later we discover this
fisherman of Galilee, whom the Lord had marked out to
be the head of his Church, travelling incessantly through
Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Asia Minor, Italy, and other
places; everywhere diligently casting his net to bring the
souls of Jews and Gentiles into the knowledge of Christ
crucified. His most important mission, however, was to
the imperial city of Home, where, by divine dispensation,
he was to establish the centre of the Christian Church.
This proud pagan capital, hitherto the seat of corrupt
though refined superstition, was henceforth to be a beacon-
light of pure Christian faith and piety. The peaceful
throne of the Prince of the Apostles was soon to rise on
the ruins of the blood-stained throne of the emperors of
the world. Tradition assures us that St. Peter governed
The Crucifixion of St. Teter.
the Church at Rome for twenty-five years, from the year
42 till the year 67 after the birth of Christ ; although
during this time he went frequently to preach the Gospel
in other lands, and to visit the newly established Christian
communities. At last, on the 29th of June, in the year 67
30
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
LIFE AND MISSION OF ST. PETER.
31
ing the death iind resurrection of Christ. The Iloly Ghost
came down upon all those who were listening to the
Apostle's inspired words, and they were converted and
baptized hy Peter. Thus h© to whom the keys of the
kingdom of heaven had been given was the first to open
the doors of God's kingdom upon earth to the pagan
world. We find him soon after presiding as first bishop
over the first large congregation of converted heathens in
the city of Antioch, where the disciples and followers of
Sts. Peter and Paul in Prison.
Christ were first called Christians. Later we discover this
fisherman of Galilee, whom the Lord had marked out to
be the head of his Church, travelling incessantly through
Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Asia Minor, Italy, and other
places; everywhere diligently casting his net to bring the
souls of Jews and Gentiles into the knowledge of Christ
cracified. His most important mission, hoAvever, was to
the imperial city of Rocae, where, by divine dispensation,
he was to establish the centre of the Christian Church.
This proud pagan capital, hitherto the seat of corrupt
though refined superstition, was henceforth to be a beacon-
light of pure Christian faith and piety. The peaceful
throne of the Prince of the Apostles was soon to rise on
the ruins of the blood-stained throne of the emperors of
the world. Tradition assures us that St. Peter governed
The Ciiicifixion of St. Peter.
the Church at Rome for twenty-five years, from the year
42 till the year 67 after the birth of Christ ; although
during this time he went frequently to preach the Gospel
in other lands, and to visit the newly established Christian
communities. At last, on the 29th of June, in the year 67
32
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL.
33
of Christ, he sealed his faith and mission with his blood
on the hill of Janieulus in the city of Rome; and the
prophetic words of Christ concerning the Chief of the
Apostles were fulfilled: ** When thou shalt be old, thou
shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee:
Follow me" (John xxi. ).
The executioners of the cruel Nero ** girded" the
gray-haired man of God with bands, and fastened him to
a cross, as had been done thirty-three years before to his
divine Master. Willingly, and even cheerfully, the faith-
ful Apostle stretched out his arms upon the cross, only
too happy to be permitted to imitate his Master even in
death. Yet, deeming himself unworthy the privilege of
dying in the same posture as Jesus, he begged his execu-
tioners to permit him to be crucified with his head down-
ward.
The martyred Apostle's body was laid in the Vatican
catacombs, near Nwo'a mens.
8. The Conversion of St. Paul.
"He who persecuted us in times past doth now preach the faith
which once he impugned."— Qalatians i. 23.
Intimately associated and closely identified with the
glorious name of Peter is the honored name of Paul.
This great Apostle of the Gentiles, who is also sometimes
called Saul, is the one of whom Christ himself bore testi-
mony when he said: "He is a vessel of election to carry
my name before kings, to the Gentiles, and to the chil-
dren of Israel."
Trained in the schools of the Pharisees, he was at first
a violent enemy of the Christian religion, and had ob-
tained letters from the high-priest in Jerusalem authoriz-
ing him to search for the Christians living in Damascus,
and to bring them before the Jewish courts. He was on
his way to put these designs into execution, when a ray of
God's grace struck him. "And as he went on Ms jour-
ney, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and
suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him.
And falling on the ground^ he heard a voice saying to
him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who said:
Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus, whom thou
persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
And he, trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt
*' Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou mef"
thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him: Arise
and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what
thou must do. Now the men who went in company with
him stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no
man. And Saul arose from the ground, and when his
eyes were opened he saw nothing" (Acts ix.).
Paul remained three days in Damascus, blind and
without food, and crying to the Lord from the inmost
32
CHRIST IN ins CHURCH.
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL.
33
of Christ, he sealed his faith and mission with his blood
on the hill of Janiculus in the city of Rome; and the
prophetic words of Christ concerning the Chief of the
Apostles were fulfilled: ** When thou shalt be old, thou
shalfc stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee:
Follow me" (John xxi.).
The executioners of the cruel Nero ** girded" the
gray-haired man of God with bands, and fastened him to
a cross, as had been done thirty-three years before to his
divine Master. Willingly, and even cheerfully, the faith-
ful Apostle stretched out his arms upon the cross, only
too happy to be permitted to imitate his Master even in
death. Yet, deeming himself unworthy the privilege of
dying in the same posture as Jesus, he begged his execu-
tioners to permit him to be crucified with his head down-
ward.
The martyred Apostle's body was laid in the Vatican
catacombs, near Nero's circus.
8. The Conversion of St. Paul.
** Hfi who persecuted us in times past doth now preach the faith
wliich once he impugned."— Galatians i. 23.
Intimately associated and closely identified with the
glorious name of Peter is the honored name of Paul.
This great Apostle of the Gentiles, who is also sometimes
called Saul, is the one of whom Christ himself bore testi-
mony when he said: **He is a vessel of election to carry
my name before kings, to the Gentiles, and to the chil-
dren of Israel."
Trained in the schools of the Pharisees, he was at first
a violent enemy of the Christian religion, and had ob-
tained letters from the high-priest in Jerusalem authoriz-
ing him to search for the Christians living in Damascus,
and to bring them before the Jewish courts. He was on
his way to put these designs into execution, when a ray of
God's grace struck him. *' And as he went on his jour-
ney, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and
suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him.
And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to
him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who said:
Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus, whom thou
persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
And he, trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt
*' Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him: Arise
and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what
thou must do. Now the men who went in company with
him stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no
man. And Saul arose from the ground, and when his
eyes were opened he saw nothing" (Acts ix.).
Paul remained three days in Damascus, blind and
without food, and crying to the Lord from the inmost
34
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF ST. PAUL.
35
depths of his soul for mercy and pardon. On the third
day God sent Ananias, whom many suppose to be one
of the seventy-two disciples, to Paul, to say to him:
" Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, he that
appeared to thee in the way, that thou mayest receive thy
sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts ix. 17).
And immediately Saul recovered nis sight, stood up, and
received baptism. '
With what astonishment and chagrin the Jews in
Damascus looked upon this once bigoted Pharisee and
bitter foe of Christianity, as he went into their syna-
gogue, and with superhuman eloquence preached that the
crucified Nazarite was the veritable Messias! He very
soon left their city, however, and retired into the solitudes
of the Arabian deserts, in order more freely to prepare
himself for his high duties of an Apostle to the Gentiles.
9. The Missionary Labors of St. Paul.
•' I am appointed a preacher and an apostle, a doctor of the Gen-
tiles in faith and truth."—! Timothy ii. 7.
St. Paul set out on his first great mission in the year
45, starting from Antioch, and accompanied by St. Mark
and St. Barnabas. This expedition consumed more than
four years, and covered a vast extent of territory by sea
and land. During this mission he established Christian
churches in the island of Cyprus and in many cities and
villages of Asia Minor; and with prayer and laying on of
hands ordained priests and bishops to instruct and gov-
ern the new congregations.
St. Luke the Evangelist gives us, in the Acts of the
Apostles, a remarkable example of the struggles and
varied experiences of this indefatigable Apostle:
''And the multitude of the city was divided; and
some of them indeed held with the Jews, hut some witli
the Apostles. And when there was an assault made by the
Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to use them con
tumeliously, and to stone them, they, understanding it,
fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the
whole country round about, and were there preaching the
Gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra impotent
in his feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who never
had walked. This same heard Paul speaking; who look-
ing upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
said with a loud voice: Stand upright on thy feet. And
he leaped up and walked. And when the multitudes had
seen what Paul had done, tiiey lifted up their voice in the
Lycaonian tongue, saying: The gods are come down to
us, in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas,
Jupiter; but Paul, Mercury; because he was chief speaker.
" The priest also of Jupiter, that was before the city,
bringing oxen and garlands before the gate, would have
offered sacrifice with the people; which when the Apostles
Barnabas and Paul had heard, rending their clothes, they
leaped out among the people, crying and saying: Ye men,
why do ye these things? We also are mortals, men like
unto you, preaching to you to be converted from these
vain things to the living God, who made the heaven, and
the earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them.
And speaking these things, they scarce restrained the
people from sacrificing to them. Now there came thither
certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, and persuading
the multitude, and stoning Paul, drew him out of the
city, thinking him to be dead. But as the disciples stood
round about him, he rose up and entered into the city,
and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe."
About the year 61 we meet St. Paul at the council of
the Apostles in Jerusalem, whence he set out soon after on
his second great missionary voyage to Asia Minor, Mace-
donia, and Greece. His visit to Athens was specially
important, where he thus addressed the highly educated
1
36
CHBIST IN HIS CHURCH.
i
and learned members of the highest court, caUed the
Areopagus:
"But Paul, standing in the midst of Areopagus, said-
Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things yon are
too superstitious. For passing by and seeing your idols,
I found an altar on which was written: To the unknown
God. What therefore you worship, without knowing it
that I preach to yon. God, who made the world and all
things therein, he being Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is he
served with men's hands, as though he needed anything
seeing it is he who giveth to all life, and breath, and all
things, and hatli made of one all mankind, to dwell upon
the whole face of the earth, determining appointed times
and the limits of their habitation; that they should seek
(xod, if happily they may feel after him or find him
although he be not far from every one of us. For in
him we live, and move, and are. As some also of your
own poets said: For we are also his offspring. Beinff
therefore, the offspring of God, we must not suppose the
divinity to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, the gi-av-
ing of art and device of man. And God indeed, having
winked at the times of this ignorance, now declareth unto
men that all should everywhere do penance. Because he
hath appointed a day wherein lie will judge the world in
equity by the man whom he hath appointed, giving faith
to all, by raising him up from the dead."
On hearing mention made of the Resurrection, most
of the Athenians began to sneer and to laugh. Some
however, agreed with Paul and believed ; among others'.
JJionysius, a celebrated and respected member of the
Areopagus.
This second voyage of Paul consumed about two years
and extended over a distance of more than a thousand
leagues. On his third missionary voyage, lasting from
the year 54 to the year 58, St. Paiil tarried a long time
ST. PAUL PREACHING AT EPHESUS.
37
36
CHBIST IN HIS CWURCn.
and learned members of the highest court, called the
Areopagus:
"But Paul, standing in the midst of Areopagus, said-
Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are
too superstitious. For passing by and seeing your idols
1 found an altar on which was written: To the unknown
God What therefore you worship, without knowing it
ttat I preach to you. God, who made the world and all
things therein, he being Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is he
served with men's hands, as though he needed anything
seeing ,t is he who giveth to all life, and breath, and all
things, and hatli made of one all mankind, to dwell upon
the whole face of the earth, determining appointed times
and the limits of their habitation; that they should seek
Ijod, If hai)pily they may feel after him or find him
although he be not far from every one of us. For in
liim we live, and move, and are. As some also of your
own poets said: For we are also his offspring. Being
therefore, the offspring of God, we must not suppose the
divinity to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, the gi-av-
iDg of art and device of man. And God indeed, having
winked at the times of this ignorance, now declareth unto
men that all should everywhere do penance. Because he
Jiath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in
equity by the man whom he hath appointed, giving faith
to all, by raising him up from the dead."
On hearing mention made of the Resurrection, most
of the Athenians began to sneer and to laugh. Some
however, agreed with Paul and believed ; among others!
iJiouysuis, a celebrated and respected member of the
Areopagus.
This second voyage of Paul consumed about two years
and extended over a distance of more than a thousand
leagues. On his third missionary voyage, lasting from
the year 54 to the year 58, St. Paul tarried a long time
ST. PAUL PREACHING AT EPHESUS.
37
38
CHEIST IN HIS CHURCH.
It
m Ephesus, a city of Asia Minor, where his new conyerts
gave touching and instructive evidence of their stroncr
Christian feeling. In that city fortune-telling and magic
prevailed to a great extent, and the people had squan-
dered large sums of money in the purchase of books which
treated of these diabolical arts. But after Paul had
preached with great eloquence and power on the one true
God, the people, entering into themselves and discoverin<r
their errors, brought out all their books of magic, to the
value of about 50,000 silver drachmas or about six thousand
dollars, and burnt them to ashes in the public square.
Would that Christians of our day might adopt a similar
plan to rid society of many of the worthless, dangerous, and
immoral books and newspapers with which we are deluged »
From Ephesus St. Paul journeyed into Macedonia,
lllyria, and Greece, and returned finally to Jerusalem, after
having traversed a distance of more than twelve hundred
leagues, and gathered in abundant harvests for Christ.
10. Imprisonment and Execution of St. Paul.
"To me. to live is Christ, and to die is gain: having a desire to
be dissolved and to be with Christ. "-Philippians i. 21, 23
The pubUc feeling of the Jews in Jerusalem against
St. Paul was again aroused to such a height that he was
sent m chains to Caesarea, where he passed two years in
confinement. As he had but little hope of gaining his
freedom, the more so as the Jews were continually clam-
oring to have him brought before their courts in Jerusa-
^m, he appealed to the Eoman emperor. Very soon after,
King Agrippa came from Jerusalem on a visit to the Eoman
governor Festus at Caesarea, and, as he remained some
days, Festus had Paul brought before the king. In the
court-room, besides King Agrippa, were his sister Bemice
and Festus, the governor, together with a large concourse
IMPRISONMENT AND EXECUTION OF PAUL. 89
of the military and of the chief persons of the city; all of
whom listened with profound attention to the eloquent
words of the apostolic prisoner. Paul related so touch-
ingly and so ably the wonderful circumstances of his con-
version, his subsequent labors, his sufferings, trials, and
tribulations in his newly adopted cause, that King Agrippa
cried out, '* Thou art almost able to persuade me to become
a Christian;" and Festus, the governor, observed, "Paul,
tiiou art beside thyself; too much learning hath made thee
mad."
As Paul had appealed to the emperor, he was ordered
to Rome in the autumn of the year 61; and, after many
delays, he reached the imperial city about Easter-time the
following year. Here he remained in prison for two years,
but, being under very mild restraint, the Christians of
Rome had access to him and were permitted to receive
instructions in the new faith.
Having once more regained his liberty, he travelled
westward as far as Spain; returned again to the East,
founding the churches of Crete, visiting Ephesus, and
traversing Macedonia for the third time, and finally,
about the year 67, he went with St. Peter back to Rome.
Here chains were again waiting for him; but this time
they led to a crown of victory. This fate the Apostle had
anticipated. "For I am even now ready," he writes to his
dearly beloved friend Timothy, " to be sacrificed, and the
time of my dissolution is at hand. I have fought the
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of
justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will render to
me in that day of mercy." (2 Tim. iv.) He was not
wrong in his foreboding, for he and St. Peter were soon
after thrown into the Mamertine prison. Even here they
turned their dungeons into pulpits, and continued to
preach to their fellow-prisoners the truths of religion, of
salvation and redemption in Christ Jesus, till the final hour
I
•t;^
40
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Struck in which these heroes of Christ were to receive the
crown of martyrdom. Whilst St. Peter Was hurried off
to crucifixion on the Vatican hill, St. Paul was being
dragged along the Ostian road and beheaded. An inscrip-
tion marks the spot where these two fellow-sufferers saw
each other for the last time on earth, and bade each other
farewell in the following touching words. St. Paul said
to his companion: ** Peace be with thee, thou foundation-
The Beheading of St. PauL
rock of the Church, shepherd of all the flocks of Christ.''
The Prince of the Apostles replied: *'Go in peace, thou
teacher of all piety and virtue, counsellor of tlie good and
virtuous, guide to salvation." The sumptuous Basilica of
St. Paul stands over the grave of St. Paul, as St. Peter's
on the Vatican hill shelters the tomb of St. Peter. Some-
thing more than a mile to the south-east of St. Paul's
Basilica stands the church of *'St. Paul with the Three
Fountains," on the spot where St. Paul was put to death.
**.-
MISSIONARY LABORS OF OTHER APOSTLES. 41
Old tradition has it that the head of the Apostle, on being
violently severed from his body, bounded and struck the
earth three times, and that at each point of contact a
ppring of pure water bubbled up which continues to flow
till the present day.
II. The Missionary Labors of the Other Apostles.
*' Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words
unto the ends of the world." — Psalms xviii. 5. ^
While Peter and Paul were thus laboring to advance the
cause of Christ, the other Apostles were no less active and
devoted in the great work of spreading the name and re-
ligion of Jesus Christ, and in founding and building up
Christian congregations in all directions. St. James the
elder proclaimed the tidings of salvation throughout
Judea. So earnest was his zeal, and so great his success,
that he drew upon himself the wrath of the wilfully
blinded Pharisees, to please whom Herod Agrippa had the
Apostle seized at Jerusalem and put to death by the sword,
about nine or ten years after the ascent of Christ from the
earth. According to tradition, the body of this holy
martyr was brought into the Spanish province of Gal-
licia, where it is to this day visited by countless pilgrims
at the shrine of Compostella.
St. John the Evangelist, brother of James, labored
first in Judea. Soon after we meet him in Ephesus, the
centre-point of Christianity in Asia Minor, where he gath-
ered about him an assemblage of distinguished disciples,
watched over the growing congregations of the neighbor-
hood, and shielded the legacy of the faith, keeping it in-
tact from the innovations of the Gnostics. Tradition
teaches that St. John came also to Rome^ where, being
thrown into a caldron of boiling oil, near the Latin gate,
he was, by the power of God, miraculously preserved un-
hurt, and afterwards banished by his enemies to the
42
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
island of Patmos, where he wrote the books of tlie Apo-
calypse, or Kevelation. Eeturning to Ephesus, he com-
piled his Gospel, and, although very old and infirm
preached with untiring zeal the great law of charity,
" My little children, love one another.'' Ue slept in the
Lord about the year 100.
St. Andrew, the brother of St. Peter, preached in Scy-
thia; that is, in Southern Eussia, and along the shores of
the Black Sea, and in Byzantium, the Constantinople of
those times. At Patras, in Greece, he was brought before
the judgment-seat of the proconsul ^gcas. ''Sacrifice
to the gods," was the order of tlie heathen proconsul.
Andrew replied in these significant words: ''Daily do I
offer to the Almighty God, not indeed the flesh of oxen
nor the blood of goats, but the immaculate Lamb of the
altar; that Lamb with whose flesh thousands are fed, and
who yet remains living and entire." At these words, he
was condemned to be crucified. When the illustrious con-
fessor came in sight of the instrument of his martyrdom,
he greeted it lovingly and with cheerfulness, saying : " 0
dearest cross, honored as thou hast been by the body of my
Master, long desired by me, my most cherished friend
whom I have sought for constantly, take me hence from
men and give me to my Lord!" After an agony of two
days' duration, he calmly departed in the peace of the
Lord.
St. Philip travelled through Scythia and Phrygia,
preaching faithfully and successfully, and finally closing
his saintly cai-eer by a martyr's death on the cross, at
Hierapolis, in the eighty-seventh year of his age.
St. Bartholomew, that same Nathaniel of whom our
Lord once said, "Behold a true Israelite, in whom there is
no guile," went on his missionary duties as far as " India,"
which means, probably, Southern Arabia. He suffered
martyrdom in the capital city of Armenia, having been
first flayed by his executioners.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF OTHER APOSTLES. 43
St. Matthew, who before his calling was named Levi,
was the son of Alpheus, and preached the word of God in
Ethiopia, Arabia, and Persia. He was the first among the
four Evangelists to write the history of the public life of
our Lord Jesus Christ, which he did in Palestine before
beginning his missionary labors. -L
St. Thomas, after having carried the light of the Gos-
pel to the Parthians, Medes, and Persians, penetrated into
India, where, by the command of the king, he was pierced
by a lance at Calamina.
St. James the younger, the cousin of our Lord and son
of Alpheus, after the dispersion of the Apostles became
bishop of Jerusalem, where, by his self-denial, strict integ-
rity, and love of prayer, he not only edified and strength-
ened the infant Church in the spirit of the Gospel, but
won over to the faith so many of the Jews that the chief-
priests became exasperated and decreed the saint's death
by stoning, in the year 63. He was finally slain with a
fuller's club. He is the author of one of the apostolic
epistles, in which he exhorts all the new Christians scat-
tered through the country to the practice of the faith.
St. Jude Thaddeus, the brother of James, we meet as
missionary in Arabia, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia, in
which countries he labored faithfully, till, overtaken by
the cruelty of the enemies of Christianity, he secured a
martyr's crown. He too has left us one epistle.
St. Simon the Canaanite preached the kingdom of
Christ to the inhabitants of Egypt and of other parts of
Northern Africa, of Persia and of Babylon. He was cru-
cified or, as some affirm, hacked to pieces at Suanir.
St. Matthias, one of the seventy-two disciples, was
chosen Apostle soon after the Ascension of Christ, to take
the place of Judas. Judea and afterward Ethiopia were
the scenes of his apostolic activity and zeal ; Sebastopolis,
the place of his martyrdom.
St. Mark, or more properly Si John, accompanied
1
I
44
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Paul and Barnabas to Antioch and Cyprus ; and thence to
Africa, where he afterwards founded the Church of Alex-
andria. We also find him in Italy, establishing the
churches of Venice and Aquileia ; and in Kome working
side by side with St. Peter, who styled liim his son, and
under whose direction he wrote his Gospel.
St. Luke was a physician, and also a painter, from
Antioch in Syria, and was chosen by St. Paul, in the year
53, to accompany him on the mission. Undei* the direc-
tion of St. Paul he compiled his Gospel, and afterwards the
Acts of the Apostles. When far advanced in years, it was
his privilege to seal with his blood that holy faith which
he had taught so faithfully by word and writing.
Thus it was that our beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ was pleased to manifest himself by his first messen-
gers to the nations of the earth. How imperishable the
glory and triumph of these chosen servants of God, these
first pillars of the Christian Church ! Little indeed has
been written about their apostolic labors, but in the book
of life their names are inscribed in letters of gold. On
the great day of judgment we shall all discover how much
these disinterested men preached, wrought, and suffered
in their unceasing efforts to spread the Church of Christ
throughout the earth. We may form some feeble notion
of their arduous duties by reading and studying the ad-
dress of St. Paul to the Corinthians, where he describes
some of his own experiences, as well as some of the other
Apostles':
'* They are the ministers of Christ. (I speak as one less
wise.) I am more : in many more labors, in prisons
more frequently, in stripes above measure, in deaths
often. Of the Jews five times did I receive forty stripes,
save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once I was
stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I
was in the depth of the sea. In journeying often, in
perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
45
nation, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city,
in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils
from false brethren. In labor and painfulness, in much
watchings, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold
and nakedness. Besides those things which are without :
my daily instance, the solicitude for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak ? Wlio is scandalized,
and I am not on fire ? If I must needs glory, I will
glory of the things that concern my infirmity. The God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for
ever, knoweth that Hie not."
12. The Growth of the Church in Europe.
"But you are a chosen generation, a purchased people: that
you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light" — 1 Peter ii. 9.
'Rome is the centre of Christianity. Here the infant
Church, baptized in the blood of the twin apostles, grew
so rapidly that she counted in the third century one hun-
dred and fifty priests besides her Chief Bishop. In the
other cities, too, of Italy, Christian congregations sprang
up and flourished in such numbers and piety that,
among all the other countries of Europe, Italy possesses
the enviable happiness and honor of being the first Chris-
tian nation in point of time.
In Si)ain tlie Church planted by St. Paul grew and
flourished to such an extent that the cities of Toledo,
Leon, Tarragona, Cordova, and jBlvira were bishoprics
as early as the year 250.
According to the traditions of the Churches of Vienne
and Aries, in France, the faitli was first preached in that
country by some disciples of the Apostles themselves. It
is beyond doubt, however, that some Christian emigrants
from Asia Minor, under the lead of Sts. Pothonius and
46
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
IrenaBiis, brought the glad tidings of salvation perma-
nently to France about the year 150. These founded
the Church at Lyons, whence they afterwards sent out
many zealous missionaries to convert other tribes among
the Gauls. The infant Church of France, or Gaul, was
threatened with destruction during the great and violent
incursions of the Franks ; but the Lord protected and
saved his vineyard ; for the French king, Clovis, imme-
diately after the memorable victory on the plain of Zul-
The Baptism of Clovis.
pich, became converted to the true faith, and was bap-
tized, together with the chief officers of his court, on
Christmas-day, 49G.*
♦ Previous to this date, all the efforts made by Queen Clotilda
to convert the king to the true faith liad proved fruitless. In the
midst of the battle of Zulpich, fought against the Allemanni tribes in
496, Clovis, finding the fortunes of war going against him, and his
troops beginning to yield, fell on his knees in tiie battle-field and peti-
tioned '• Clotilda's God " for assistance. Victory came to him unex-
pectedly. Pull of gratitude, he put himself under a course of reli-
OROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
47
The light of our Lord's Gospel shed its rays as far as
England, and tradition makes mention of a Christian king
of that country, named St. Lucius, as early as the year 180.
About the middle of the fifth century that country was
overrun by the pagan Anglo-Saxons, and the feeble Church
was in great danger of extinction. Pope Gregory the Great,
St. Patrick.
however, came to its rescue by sending, about the year 596,
the Abbot Augustine, together with forty missionaries,
gious instruction, and counselled all his soldiers to turn towards
that one true God who had led them on to victory. Accordingly,
on Christmas-day of the same year, the king, together with three
thousand of his subjects, received baptism at the hands of the
saintly bishop Remigius, who immediately after the ceremony
spoke to the king the following significant words : "Bow down thy
head, proud Sicamber; burn what thou hast hitherto adored, and
adore in future what thou hast hitherto burned." For, until that
time. King Clovis, who was descended from the family of the Sicam-
bri, had been an idol- worshipper and an enemy of the one true God.
46
CHRIST IN JUS CHURCH.
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
47
I
Ireiijeus, broiiglit the glad tidings of sulvation perma-
nently to France about the year 150. These founded
Hie Church at Lyons, whence they afterwards sent out
many zealous missionaries to convert other tribes among
the Gauls. The infant Church of France, or Gaul, was
threatened with destruction during the great and violent
incursions of the Franks ; but the Lord i)rotected and
saved his vineyard ; for the French king, Clovis, imme-
diately after the memorable victory on the plain of Zul-
if
The Baptism of Clovis.
pich, ])ecame converted to the true faith, and was bap-
tized, together with the chief officers of his court, on
Christmas-day, 40G.*
* Previous to this d:ite, all the efforts made by Queen Clotilda
to convert the king to tlie true faith liad proved fruitless. In the
midst of the battle of Zulpich, fought against the Alleniauni tribes in
496, Clovis, finding the fortunes of war going against him, and his
troops beginning to yield, fell on his knees in the battle-field and peti-
tioned " Clotilda's God " for assistance. Victory came to him unex-
pectedly. Full of gi-atitude, he put himself imder a course of reli-
V
The light of our Lord's Gospel shed its rays as far as
England, and tradition makes mention of a Christian king
of that country, named St. Lucius, as early as the year 180.
About the middle of the fifth century that country was
overrun by the pagan Anglo-Saxons, and the feeble Church
was in great danger of extinction. Pope Gregory the Great,
St. Patrick.
however, came to its rescue by sending, about the year 590,
the Abbot Augustine, together with forty missionaries,
gious instruction, and counselled all his soldiers to turn towards
that one true God who had led them on to victory. Accordingly,
on Christmas-day of the same year, the king, together with three
thousand of his subjects, received baptism at the hands of the
saintly ])ishop Kemigius, who immediately after the ceremony
spoke to the king the following significant words : "Bow down thy
head, proud Sicamber; burn what thou hast hitherto adored, and
adore in future what thou hast hitherto burned." For, until that
time. King Clovis, who was descended from the family of the Sicam-
bri, had been an idol-w^orshipper and an enemy of the one true God.
n
48
CHKIST m HIS CHURCH.
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
49
to regenerate the people. In less than fifty years after
St. Augustine's arrival we find many bishoprics, churches,
and monasteries in England, who in her turn sent out
countless holy missionaries to the other nations of Eu-
rope.
Ireland was added to the list of Christian nations by
the great St. Patrick. His efforts were so blessed by
Heaven that in a few years the whole people had become
most faithful and fervent Catholics ; and so numerous were
St Colmnban.
the holy, learned, and indefatigal)le missionaries whom she
sent abroad that she received the glorious title of the
"Island of Saints." Amongst the countless missionaries
from Ireland was St. Columkille, wlio went to Scotland in
565, and at his death, in 597, left the whole country
Catholic.
In the same century St. Aidan carried the treasures of
Ireland's faith and piety into I!^orthumberland, in England.
St. Coiumban, like Abraham of old, left his native Ireland
during the seventh century, and traversed Gaul, Switzer-
land, and Italy, preaching Christ crucified to the still uncon-
verted inhabitants of those countries. St. Gall, who accom-
panied St. Coiumban in his missionary travels, was the
chief founder of Christianity in Switzerland. All through
the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries the sons of Ireland
continued to preach Christ crucified throughout most of
the unconverted portions of Europe, and to supply abun-
dant proof that the life of Christ had been prolonged in
the 'island of Saints." That land of St. Patrick, St.
Malachy, and St. Brendan was indeed a home of faith.
In days when paganism and desolation still reigned where
Christianity is now triumphant, Ireland had its saints ruling
their flocks, its well-ordered hierarchy, its schools of Chris-
tian science. Armagh, Lismore, Clonfert, and other seats
of learning and piety were known throughout Europe.
Teachers from Ireland were held in high honor in the
universities of Oxford, Paris, Pavia, and Bologna.
Even in the days of the northern invasions we find the
monasteries of Europe, those ramparts behind which re-
ligion and civilization took shelter from the furious incur-
sions of northern barbarians, defended in a great measure
by those heroic sons of Ireland who had caught the im-
pulse of their apostle's sanctity and zeal.
A learned and holy writer of the present day thus elo-
quently describes the spiritual and mystic life of Christ as
manifested in Ireland before the days of persecution:
'* The image of that fair island rises before me, rock-bound
and lashed by the mighty waters of the west, green with
living verdure, with its blue mountains, its fruitful plains
and exhaustless rivers. I seem to see some old picture,
such as is hung over the altars in our sanctuaries, and in
which the skill of the painter is even less than the sanctity
of his idea. It is such as we often see when in the back-
ground there is a gentle landscape, bounded by dark, tran-
.^
48
CHRIST IN III8 CHURCH.
n
to regenerate the people. In less than fifty years after
St. Augustine's arrival we find many bishoprics, churches,
and monasteries in England, who in her turn sent out
countless holy missionaries to the other nations of Eu-
rope.
Ireland was added to the list of Christian nations by
the great St. Patrick. His efforts were so blessed by
Heaven that in a few years the whole people had become
most faithful and fervent Catholics ; and so numerous were
St. Columban.
Hi Mfy, learned, and indefiitigal»le missionaries whom she
sent abroad that she received the glorious title of the
"Island of Saints." Amongst the countless missionaries
from Ireland was St. Ccdumkille, who went to Scotland in
565, and at his death, in 597, left the wliole country
Catlioiic.
Ill the same century St. Aidan carried the treasures of
Ireland's faith and piety into Northumberland, in England.
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
49
St. Coiumban, like Abraham of old, left his native Ireland
during the seventh century, and traversed Gaul, Switzer-
land, and Italy, preaching Christ crucified to the still uncon-
verted inhabitants of those countries. St. Gall, who accom-
panied St. Columban in his missionary travels, was the
chief founder of Christianity in Switzerland. All through
the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries the sons of Ireland
continued to preach Christ crucified throughout most of
the unconverted portions of Europe, and to supply abun-
dant proof that the life of Christ had been prolonged in
the 'island of Saints." That land of St. Patrick, St.
Malachy, and St. Brendan was indeed a home of faith.
In days when paganism and desolation still reigned where
Christianity is now triumphant, Ireland had its saints ruling
their flocks, its well-ordered hierarchy, its schools of Chris-
tian science. Armagh, Lismore, Clonfert, and other seats
of learning and piety were known throughout Europe.
Teachers from Ireland were held in high honor in the
universities of Oxford, Paris, Pavia, and Bologna.
Even in the davs of the northern invasions we find the
monasteries of Europe, those ramparts behind which re-
liirion and civilization took shelter from the furious incur-
sions of nm-thern barbarians, defended in a great measure
by those heroic sons of Ireland who had caught the im-
pulse of their apostle's sanctity and zeal.
A learned and holy writer of the present day thus elo-
quently describes the spiritual and mystic life of Christ as
manifested in Ireland before the days of persecution:
'* Tlie image of that fair island rises before me, rock-bound
and lashed by the mighty waters of the west, green with
living verdure, with its blue mountains, its fruitful 2>hiins
and exhaustless rivers. I seem to see some old picture,
such as is hung over the altars in our sanctuaries, and in
which the skill of the painter is even less than the sanctity
of his idea. It is such as we often see when in the back-
ground there is a gentle landscape, bounded by dark, tran-
60
CHRIST IN HIS CHUKCH.
qnU mountains, shaded by tall and spreading trees, in the
midst a calm water and clear bright air ; here is a company
of saints musing on Holy Writ, and there a multitude of
upturned faces drinking in the words of an evangelist ; on
one side a crowd by a river's brink receiying the sacrament
of regeneration ; on the other, the Holy Sacrifice of the
altar 18 lifted up before the Eternal Father ; beyond is a
mystic ladder reaching up to heaven, on which angels are
ascending and descending, and communing with saints in
Tision ; and in the foreground, rising over all, is Jesus on
his throne, and on his right hand Maiy crowned with light
and beauty." , ^pC' *
In Germany, the country along the Rhine was the first
to receive the light of the Gospel. As early as the year 150,
Chnstian congregations were in flourishing and well-
ordered condition ; and when, in the year 336, St. Atha-
nasius, bishop of Alexandria, came during his exile to
Iners, he found Catholic bishops in Strasburg, Cologne,
Speyer, Worms, and Trier. In South Germany, too? on
the banks of the Leek and the Danube, the cross of Christ
was firmly planted at a very early period ; whilst renowned
samts such as Bishop Maximilian of Lorch, Floriun of Ems
Dionysius of Augsburg and his niece St. Afra, Victorinus
01 retau, and many others, consecrated and fertilized the
sml of Germany with martyr-blood about the year 300.
Switzerland honors as her first apostle St. Beatns, who
tand had episcopal sees in Augusta, afterwards called
^aeel ; Avanche, afterwards called Lausanne ; in Con-
stance, Geneva, and Chur.
The invasion of the Huns, Allemanni, and other bar-
barous tribes had well-nigh destroyed the Church in Ger-
many and Switzerland ; but, in order to firmly and perma.
nently restore and re-establish it, the Almighty raised up,
during the sixth and seventh centuries, a body of holy
salons, and able men, such as Fridolin, Columba, GaU
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
51
Trutpcrt, Pirmin, Severin, Eupert, Emeran, Corbinian,
and Killian. y(^ fT^.r- '-
Germany's chief apostle, however, was St. Boniface.
He was a man of untiring zeal, high intellect, and child-
like simplicity ; a very hero in his faith, in his dependence
on Providence, and in his charity ; yes, a vessel of election
like St. Paul. Born in England about the year 680, he
received at his baptism the name of Winifred, and entered,
St. Boniface.
at an early age, the order of the Benedictines. Hearing
in his soul a voice from heaven saying, " Carry the light of
my Gospel to the people who sit in darkness and the shadow
of death ; I will there show thee how thou must labor and
suffer for me," Winnifred promptly responded to this inte-
rior voice of God. Fortified with the blessing of his abbot
and the prayers of his fellow-religious, he entered on his mis-
sionary labors, first in Friesland and afterwards in Thurin-
60
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
GKOWTII OF THE CHUKCII IN EUROPE.
51
quil mountains, shaded by tall and spreading trees, in the
midst a calm water and clear bright air ; here is a company
of samts musing on Holy Writ, and there a multitude of
upturned faces drinking in the words of an evangelist ; on
one side a crowd by a river's brink receiving the sacrament
of regeneration ; on the other, the Holy Sacrifice of the
altar IS lifted up before the Eternal Father; beyond is a
mystic ladder reaching up to heaven, on which angels arc
ascending and descending, and communing with saints in
vision ; and in the foreground, rising over all, is Jesus on
his throne, and on his right hand Mary crowned with light
and beauty.")!.!.//,^ y^ j,oC-
In Germany, the country along the Rhine was the first
to receive the light of the Gospel. As early as the year 150
Christian congregations were in flourishing and well-
ordered condition ; and when, in the year 33G, St. Athit-
nasius, bishop of Alexandria, came during his exile to
Iriers, he found Catholic bishops in Strasburg, Colo.r„e
Speyer, Worms, and Trier. In South Germany, too^oii
the banks of the Leek and the Danube, the cross of Christ
was firmly planted at a very early period ; whilst renowned
samts such as Bishop Maximilian of Lorch, Florian of Ems
Dionysins of Augsburg and his niece St. Afra, Victorinus
01 fetau, and many others, consecrated and fertilized the
soil of Germany with martyr-blood about the year 300.
Switzerland honors as her first apostle St. Beatus, who
inl ',? i ^'""^ ",' ^''™* "^- ^" ^''y ^•■''•'y <J"y« this
tand had episcopal sees in Augusta, afterwards called
Basel ; Avanche, afterwards called Lausanne : in Con-
stance, Geneva, and Chur.
The invasion of the Huns, Allemanni, and other bar-
barous tribes had well-nigh destroyed the Church in Ger-
daring the sixth and seventh centuries, a body of holv
^ous, and able men, such as Fridolin, Columba Gall
...jl,^*
Trutpcrt, Pirmin, Severin, Rupert, Eincran, Corbinian,
and Killian. ^ /"/ , , --
Germany's chief apostle, however, was St. Boniface.
He was a man of untiring zeal, high intellect, and cliild-
like simplicity ; a very hero in his faith, in his dependence
on Providence, and in his charity ; yes, a vessel of election
like St. Paul. Born in England about the year C80, he
received at his baptism the name of Winifred, and entered,
^-^'•^is^v--
St. Boniface.
at an early age, the order of tlie Benedictines. Hearing
in his soul a voice from heaven saying, " Carry the light of
my Gospel to the people who sit in darkness and the shadow
of deatli ; I will there show thee how thou must labor and
suffer for me," Winnifred promptly responded to this inte-
rior voice of God. Fortified with the blessing of his abbot
and the prayers of his fellow-religious, he entered on his mis-
sionary labors, first in Friesland and afterwards in Thurin-
li
52
tJHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN EUROPE.
63
gia and among the Hessians. Here he hewed down the
sacred oak-tree to which the inhabitants used to pay divine
honors, and with the timber built a chapel in honor of
St. Peter. Paganism in this district fell with its sacred
oak, to rise no more. Our saint afterwards labored in
Bavaria, in the Khine countries, and even in France itself,
where, by the permission and authority of the pope, he
anointed Pepin king of France in 752. When far advanced
in years, the ardent wish of his early youth returned to
him; namely, the desire to become a missionary in Fries-
land. He travelled towards the north, baptized many in
the true faith, and for his zeal received the crown of
martyrdom at Dorkum, on the 5th of June, 753.
This apostle of Germany made three wearisome jour-
neys to Rome in order to obtain the sanction and blessing
of the Vicar of Christ upon his labors, as well as to keep
the Church of Germany in close union with the centre of
Christian faith and unity. He received from the Pope
the beautiful and significant name of Boniface, or doer of
good; fxml also the dignity of archbishop of Mayence and
papal legate for all Germany. Many dioceses and monas-
teries are indebted to him for their creation or restora-
tion. His good work was continued by his faithful dis-
ciples, to the great blessing of Germany.
At the death of St. Boniface, the Saxons in Westpiia-
lia, Eastphalia, and Engern were the only large German
tribe still in idolatry. But these also became subject to
the yoke of Christ about the year 800 ; and the work
begun by the sword of Charlemagne was completed by
the untiring zeal, holy example, itid profound knowledge
of humble and self-sacrificing bishops and priests.
Our blessed Lord and Saviour wished also to take up
his mystic abode among the people of the North ; that is,
among the Scandinavians in Denmark, Sweden, and Nor-
way. To effect his loving designs, he chose as apostle fof
these people the holy monk Ansgar, afterwards archbishop
of Hamburg-Bremen, who from this place travelled forth
among the Swedes and Danes, preaching the Gospel and
establishing the Church on a firm basis, by erecting dio-
ceses and founding several seats of piety and learning.
The cross of our Saviour was carried in triumph into
the countries of Sclavia ; that is, among the peoples of
Bohemia, Poland, and Russia. The chief apostles among
the Sclavonic races were the Greek monks Methodius and
Cyrillus, who lived about 870. The dioceses of Posen,
founded in 968, of Prague, in 973, and of Gnesen, in 997,
were the centres whence irradiated the glorious light of
the Gospel into all the surrounding districts
Among the Magyars in Hungary we meet in the year
950, as first bishop, the monk Hierotheus. Two holy
bishops, Piligrim of Passau and Adalbert of Prague, to-
gether with the king St. Stephen, completed, about the
year 1000, the conversion of this warlike people ; and the
archbishopric of Grau became at this time the centre of
Christianity in Hungary.
The last people in Europe to open their eyes to the
light of the true faith were the Prussians. About the
year 1000, the saintly Adalbert, bishop of Prague, and
the holy Benedictine monk Bruno made an unsuccessful
effort to convert Prussia, and both fell martyi-s to their
indomitable zeal. It was not until after the adjoining
countries of Pomerania and Livonia had become Chris-
tian, about the year 1150, and when the monk Christian,
of the monastery of Oliva, after having labored as bishop
of the Prussians with extraordinary zeal and perseverance
for their conversion, callift to his aid, in the year 1226,
the knights of the German order, under the lead of grand-
master Herman of Salza, that the religion of Christ struck
a firm root in that country. '
But after the short duration of less than three hun-
dred years, the Catholic religion was overturned and dis-
carded by these people ; and from this land, which was
V
n
H
(f%
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
the last to admit Christianity to its embrace, broke forth
the disastrous storm of the so-called reformation, whicli
in the sixteenth century carried away a large portion of
Euroi)e from the Catholic Church. In order to arrest
the pernicious progress of this so-called reformation, but
more especially in order to strengthen and vivify the
faith and Christian virtue among the people who remained
St. Francis of Assisi.
steadfast to the faith, God called into existence the sys-
tem of home-missions. For what did it avail to have
preached the religion of Christ, or to have established
his Church, if the spirit which quickeneth— namely, faith,
hope, and charity— should gradually become dead, and if
Christian life should degenerate into a mere external and
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN ASIA.
55
profitless profession of religion ? As a strong defence
against such an evil, Christ raised up learned and holy
bishops, and zealous, edifying priests to be their assist-
ants in securing the salvation of souls. Nevertheless
there have been occasions when this aridity of Christian
life among men seemed to threaten the life of the Church
itself in a most formidable manner. Then, indeed, were
extraordinary men and means required, and Christ never
failed to raise them up at the proper moment to protect
his Church. Such, for instance, were the great peniten-
tial preachers, whose burning eloquence often aroused
whole nations to a sense of their duty to God and to
the practice of his saving truths and precepts, and
infused a rencnved Christian life into their hitherto dead-
ened souls. Among these may be mentioned St. Ber-
nard, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Dominic, St. Vincent
Ferrer, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Francis of Sales, and
many others. In more recent ages four great religious
orders have flourished in a special manner, through
whose exertions, in the conducting of popular home-
missions in the parishes, miiny most salutary and jirofit-
able blessings and graces have been bestowed ui)on the
faithful. These arc the Society of the Jesuits, the Capu-
chin fathers, the ^Mission Priests of St. Vincent de Paul,
and the Redemptorists.
13. The History of the Church in Asia.
"Tbouknowest this, that all they who are in Asia are tamed
away from me." — 2 Timothy i. 5.
And now we direct our attention towards the second
continent, called Asia, to learn how the Church of God
has been spread over its boundless territory. Let us enter
til is region with reverence, for its soil is sacred. Here, of
old, dwelt the patriarchs ; here, for four thousand years.
M
I
m
CHRIST IN JII8 CHUKCH.
tlie last to admit Christianity to its embrace, broke forth
the disastrous storm of the so-called reformation, which
in the sixteenth century carried away a large portion of
Europe from the Catholic Church. In order to arrest
th© pernicious progress of this so-called reformation, but
more especially ia order to strengthen and vivify the
faith and Christian virtue among the people who remained
St. Francis of Assisi.
steadfast to the faith, God called into existence the sys-
tem of home-missions. For what did it avail to have
preached tlie religion of Christ, or to have established
Ms Church, if the spirit which quickeneth— namely, faith,
lope, and charity— should gradually become dead, and if
€hristian life should degenerate into a mere external and
HISTORY OF THE ClIURCH IN ASIA.
55
2)rolitless profession of religion ? As a strong defence
against such an evil, Christ raised uj) learned and holy
bishops, and zealous, edifying priests to be their assist-
ants in securing the salvation of souls. Nevertheless
there have been occasions when this aridity of Christian
life among men seemed to threaten the life of the Church
itself in a most formidable manner. Then, indeed, were
extraordinary men and means required, and Christ never
failed to raise them up at the proper moment to protect
his Church. Such, for instance, were the great peniten-
tial preachers, whose burning eloquence often aroused
whole nations to a sense of their duty to God and to
the practice of his saving truths Jind precepts, and
infused a renewed Christian life into their hitherto dead-
ened souls. Among these may be mentioned St. Ber-
nard, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Dominic, St. Vincent
Ferrer, St. Charles BoiTomeo, St. Francis of Sales, and
many others. In more recent ages four great religious
orders have flourished in a special numner, through
whose exertions, in the conducting of popular home-
missions in the i)arishes, many most salutary and i)r<)lit-
able blessings and graces have been bestowed U])()n the
faithful. These arc tlie Society of the Jesuits, ilie Capu-
chin fathers, the ^lission Priests of St. Vincent de Paul,
and the Redemi)torists.
13. The History of the Church in Asia.
" Thou knowest this, that till they who are in Asia are turned
away from me." — 3 Timothy i. 5.
And now we direct our attention towards the second
continent, called Asia, to learn how the Church of God
has been spread over its boundless territory. Let us enter
this region with reverence, for its soil is sacred. Here, of
old, dwelt the patriarchs ; here, for four thousand years.
II
56
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
was the mystery of our Redemption in slow and solemn
preparation ; here Jesus Christ, the King of kings, lived
in the form of a servant. Praise be to him for all eter-
nity !
A rich and abundant harvest sprang up here from the
seed sown by Christ and his Apostles. Antioch in Syria,
Tyre in Phoenicia, Ephesus and Smyrna in Asia Minor,'
Nisi bis in Mesopotamia, Sebaste in Armenia, Seleucia in
Persia, Bostra in Arabia, Salamis in the island of Cyprus :
all these places were flourishing gardens in the vineyard
of Christianity during the first three centuries. Chris-
tian piety, morals, and knowledge not only flourished
here, but were carried forth to every quarter of western
and southern Asia. Even India* and Chinaf were illumi-
nated by the rays of the Gospel-Sun.
Who would have suspected in those days of Asiatic
faith and piety that the dark night of infidelity would
soon envelop that continent, and the Sun of Christianity,
like the sun in the firmament, would take its way west-
ward to European lands ? Such jire the inscrutable ways
of divine wisdom, yea, rather of divine justice. Most of
these eastern nations, gradually forgetting how deeply
they were indebted to the Gospel of Christ, in place of a
child-like faith cultivated pride of intellect and rebellion
of heart— both leading to infidelity— and they soon began
to look upon the maxims of Christianity as an intolerable
burden. Then came the visitation of divine justice upon
these ungi-ateful people. The first heavy blow of retribii-
tion was struck by the hands of the Persian kings, who
during a period of three hundred years, till 620, perse-
cuted the Church of Asia with fire and sword. ' These
♦ In the year 535 the monk Cosmas found Christian congreffa-
tions m those countries, and even a bishop at Calliana.
t According to an old document written in ancient Syrian and
Chinese, and discovered in 1625. a priest named Jaballah spread the
faith here about the year 640.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN ASIA.
67
people received their death-stroke from the hand of Mo-
hammed.
This clever impostor, son of a pagan father and Jewish
mother, was born in the year 570, at Mecca in Arabia.
His fellow-countrymen, though they held a variety of re-
ligious views, were closely united in their common venera-
tion for the Kaaba at Mecca, a kind of sanctuary in which,
as they claimed, stood the so-called Altar of Abraham, a
shapeless dark-colored stone. Mohammed, encouraged by
Abdallah the Jew, and by Sergius, a heretical monk, in-
veighed forcibly against the idolatry of his countrymen,
and preached the doctrine of ''One God, and Mohammed
is his prophet." Being persecuted by his neighbors, he
fled on the 15th of July, G22, from Mecca to Medina, and
soon afterwards he succeeded in bringing all Arabia under
his power and made it conform to his religious teachings.
His flight is still known by the term Hegira, or the Proph-
et's flight. His system of religion, which was based upon
pretended revelations made by the Archangel Gabriel, and
which consists even yet of a mixture of paganism and
Judaism with a tinge of Christianity, was embodied in the
Koran, after Mohammed's death in 632, and carried by
dint of arms over all western Asia, throughout northern
Africa, and even reached Spain through the emigration of
the Arabs.
Since the rise of Mohammed, Asia has continued to
be a dry and rotten branch, fallen from the Christian tree
of life.
Throughout the middle ages the Popes never lost sight
of the spiritual interests of Asia, nor even of Africa.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries several
of the missionaries sent by the Heads of the Church to
that part of the world penetrated even as far as China.
But the history of these Christian missionaries is
shrouded in impenetrable obscurity. As the day set apart
by an all- wise Providence for the conversion of these coun-
b8
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN ASIA.
59
tries had not yet dawned, we may believe that the efforts
of these messengers, though doubtless saving many souls,
were not attended with much external lustre.
For many centuries Asia lay enveloped in utter dark-
ness ; till at last the Lord, who chastises and forgives,
smites to the earth and raises up again, sent to them an-
other apostle in the person of Saint Francis Xavier. This
zealous and extraordinary man, leaving home and friends,
was carried on the wings of love, about the yeai- 1542, to
St. Francis Xavier.
the East Indies, where, like his divine Master, he called
around him the children of ignorance and superstition,
won their confidence and affection, and through these
young people gained the heathen parents to Christ. He
then founded churches and opened schools. The Indians
styled him the Holy Man, the Great Father. From India
he went to Japan, where in the short space of two years and
a half he converted several thousand souls. He again set
sail for China, with the hope of bringing its benighted
inhabitants to a knowledge of the true faith, but died on
the confines of that country on the 3d of December, 1552,
after having baptized, according to reliable authority,
more than three hundred thousand pagans.
His brethren in religion, the fathers of the Society of
Jesus, continued the work of this illustrious missionary
in India and Japan, building in the former country, from
1552 to 1590, about two hundred and fifty churches;
A Missionary among the Pagans.
while in China, by the holiness of their lives, the wisdom
of their preaching, and the glow of their unbounded char-
ity, they gained thousands upon thousands of souls to
Christ. Notwithstanding cruel and bloody persecutions,
especially in Japan, there have never been wanting, since
that time, God-inspired men to devote themselves wholly
to the Christian missions in Asia. Depending altogether
upon the offerings of Christians in Europe, secular priests,
Jesuits, Lazarists, Capuchins, and other devoted servants
of God have worn themselves out in holy rivalry, in their
Pf
58
i
\
CHEI8T IN HIS CIIURCIL
tries liad not yet dawned, we may believe that the efforts
of these messengers, though doubtless saving many souls,
were not attended with much external lustre.
For many centuries Asia lay enveloped in utter dark-
ness ; till at last the Lord, who chastises and forgives,
smites to the earth and raises up again, sent to them an-
other apostle in the person of Saint Francis Xavier. This
lealous and extraordinary man, leaving home and friends,
was carried on the wings of love, about the year 1542, to
St. Francis Xavier. •
the East Indies, where, like his divine Master, he called
around him the children of ignorance and superstition,
won their confidence and affection, and through these
young people gained the heathen parents to Christ. He
then founded churches and opened schools. The Indians
styled him the Holy Man, the Great Father. From India
he went to Japan, where in the short space of two years and
a half he converted several thousand souls. He again set
.1 *
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN ASIA.
59
sail for China, with the hope of bringing its benighted
inhabitants to a knowledge of the true faith, but died on
the confines of that country on the 3d of December, 1552,
after having baptized, according to reliable authority,
more than three hundred thousand pagans.
His brethren in religion, the fathers of the Society of
Jesus, continued the work of this illustrious missionarv
in India and Japan, building in the former country, from
1552 to 1590, about two hundred and fifty churches ;
A Missionary among the Pagans.
while in China, by the holiness of their lives, the wisdom
of their preaching, and the glow of their unbounded char-
ity, they gained thousands upon thousands of souls to
Christ. Notwithstanding cruel and bloody persecutions,
especially in Japan, there have never been wanting, since
that time, God-inspired men to devote themselves wholly
to the Christian missions in Asia. Depending altogether
upon the offerings of Christians in Europe, secular priests,
Jesuits, Lazarists, Capuchins, and other devoted servants
of God have worn themselves out in holy rivalry, in their
m
CHKI8T IN HIS CHUUCH.
efforts to spread th© kingdom of Christ throughout
heathen lands. At the same time, brave and self-sacri-
ficing sisters of the various orders have given testimony
before the eyes of the astounded and edified pagans of
the power of Christian love, by their unceasing labors in
hospitals, orphanages, and schools. Many of these mis-
sionaries met a martyr's death ; some in bloody persecu-
tion, others in the excess of privation and of labor. But
the gaps left by these are soon filled up, for Catholic Eu-
rope still sends its noblest and most disinterested sons as
missionaries to the Orient, so that unbroken armies of
new heroes of the faith take the places of the victors who
have gone to rest.
14. The History of the Church in Africa.
"Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down. He shall deliver
the poor from the mighty; and the needy that had no helper."—
Psalm Ixxi.
St. Mark the Evangelist had himself founded a Chris-
tian congregation with a bishop at its head in Alexandria,
the chief city of Egypt. Very soon a large and flourish-
ing school was established here, and the renown of its
learned and pious professors gathered about them in great
numbers from every part of Egypt and Asia Minor eager
and docile disciples, whom they conducted tlirough the
paths of pagan knowledge into the realms of true wisdom
and faith. The Church made such rapid progress in
Egypt that about the year 300 there were more than one
hundred bishops in that land.
The faith having been carried from Kome into the
north-western portions of Africa, Carthage here became
the centre of Catholicity. From this point the light and
warmth of the true faith radiated with such good effect
that an African priest, Tertullian, could say to the i)agans
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN AFRICA.
61
as early as the year 200: "We Christians are of but yester-
day, yet we occupy all the places once filled by you — the
islands, cities, villages, council-halls, and military camps.
We constitute the majority in every city." About the
year 330 this north-west part of Africa, together with
Abyssinia, counted more than three hundred bishops.
In the year 429, when the rude Vandals under their
king Genserich came to Africa, a series of terrible persecu-
tions overtook the Church, which lost vast numbers; till
finally, in 533, the Greek commander Belisarius overthrew
the Vandal power and re-established the authority of the
Roman empire. But again in the seventh century Mo-
hammedanism invaded Egypt and most parts of Northern
Africa, and buried, as it did the Church in Asia, the once
flourishing African Church out of sight.
But the memory of this once vigorous branch of the
Church of God has never faded from the minds of Euro-
pean Christians. All through the middle ages, men zeal-
ous for the salvation of souls made repeated efforts to
revive the knowledge of the Gospel in Africa. Thus, in
the year 1212, five companions of St. Francis Assissi
went with this intention to Morocco; but till the fruit of
their efforts consisted in their own martyrdom. Similar
efforts to the same purpose wore made by the zealous Ray-
mond Lullus, who, not satisfied with training young men
in Europe to become apostles to the Mohammedan Sara-
cens, went himself three times to Africa, where finally, on
his third apostolic visitation, he purchased with his blood
at Tunis, in 1315, the long-desired and ardently sought
crown of martyrdom.
In later ages we again discover the sons of St. Francis,
the Capuchins, as missionaries in Africa, both on the
eastern coast, in Mozambique, Monomotapa, and Quiloa,
and on the western coast, in Congo, Angola, Benguela,
and in the islands of Bourbon and of France.
We see in the year 1838 a bishopric in Algiers, which
62
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
becomes an archbishopric in 18C7. Later, also, three sees
were established in the towns of Oran, Constantine, and
Ceuta; and we also find missionary stations in Egypt,
Abyssinia, in Central Africa, and along the coasts, at
the various trading-posts.
But alas ! what are these few struggling institutions,
comprising as they do only four and a half millions of
Catholics under the guidance of twenty-four bishops or
apostolic vicars, in comparison with the glory of this same
African Church in early times, when five hundred and
fifty native bishops could assemble at one time in Car-
thage!
15. What America owes to the Catholic Church.
" Who in times past are not a people, but are now the people of
God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
I beseech you tliat having your conversation good among the infi-
dels, whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may, by
the good works which they shall behold in you, glorify God in the
day of visitation."— 1 Peter ii. 10.
The very name of America ought to fill the soul of
every Catholic with joy and holy pride. To the Catholic
Church America owes her discovery, her civilization, and,
for the most part, her civil liberty and independence
in the United States. Thus our beloved Church has
justly earned for herself the most indisputable right to
exist in the new as well as in the old world.
The discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus, was
a son of the ancient Church, and indeed a loyal, devout,
and pi-actical member of that Communion. The motive
which first inspired him, and led him on to his successful
discovery, was a truly Catholic motive. In his last will
and testament this devoted son of the Church expressly re-
quired his son Diego, or whomsoever should become his
heir, to be prepared to offer his person, his influence, and
WHAT AMERICA OWES TO THE CHURCH. 63
his wealth in defence of the rights of the Holy See, in
case an attempt should ever be made to alienate this por-
tion of God's vineyard from the Vicar of Christ. He re-
quired his son, moreover, to spare no cost nor labor in
bringing the Indians to a knowledge of the true faith.
He also assures us thcit it was the wish of his heart at all
times to see the revenues derived from his newly discov-
ered country employed by his sovereigns in redeeming the
holy city of Jerusalem from the dominion of the pagans.
Christopher Columbus.
Catholic priests were the truest friends and best aids to
Columbus. He informs us: ''When I was an object of
ridicule to all, two monks remained steadfast in their
devotion to me and my cause. " These were the Franciscan
friar Percy de Marchena and the Dominican Diego Deza.
And for all the learning and science which led him to
the discovery of the New World, was he not indebted
to the Catholic Church, to her monastic schools, and tg
ll
Rl
62
CHRIST IN HIS CIIUKCII.
becomes an archbishopric in 1,SC7. Later, also, three sees
were established in the towns of Oran, Constantine, and
Ceuta; and we also find missionary stations in Egypt,
Abyssinia, in Central Africa, and along the coasts, at
the varions trading-posts.
But alas ! what are these few struggling institutions,
comprising as they do only four and a half millions of
Catholics under the guidance of twenty-four bishops or
apostolic vicars, in comparison with the glory of this same
African Cliurch in early times, when five hundred and
fifty native bishops could assemble at one time in Car-
thage!
IS. What America owes to the Catholic Church.
" Who in times past are not a people, but are now the people of
God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
I beseech you that having your conversation good among the infi-
dels, whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may, by
the good works which they shall behold in you, glorify God in' the
day of visitation."—! Peter ii. 10.
The Tery name of America ought to fill the soul of
every Catholic with joy and holy pride. To the Catholic
Church America owes her discovery, her civilization, and,
for the most part, her civil liberty and independence
in the United States. Thus our beloved Church has
justly earned for herself the most indisputable right to
exist in the new as well as in the old world.
The discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus, was
a son of the ancient Church, and indeed a loyal, devout,
and practical member of that Communion. The motive
which first inspired him, and led him on to his successful
discovery, was a truly Catholic motive. In his last will
and testament this devoted son of the Church exi)ressly re-
quired his son Diego, or whomsoever should become his
heir, in be prepared to offer his person, his influence, and
WHAT AMEKICA OWES TO THE tllUROH.
63
his wealth in defence of the rights of the Holy See, in
case an attempt should ever be made to alienate this por-
tion of God's vineyard from the Vicar of Christ. He re-
quired his son, moreover, to spare no cost nor labor in
bringing the Indians to a knowledge of the true faith.
He also assures us tlmt it was the wish of his heart at all
times to see the revenues derived from his newly discov-
ered country employed by his sovereigns in redeeming the
holy city of Jerusalem from the dominion of the pagans.
J^i?m
=-
---
=^
:
~"'^^""Jz-
-— 1=^:-^
"--Izr- ~ '' '
^
^^^«!^
^<^^^
Christopher Columbus.
Catholic priests were the truest friends and best aids to
Columbus. He informs us: ''When I w^as an object of
ridicule to all, two monks remained steadfast in their
devotion to me and my cause. " These were the Franciscan
friar Percy de Marchena and the Dominican Diego Deza.
And for all the learning and science which led him to
the discovery of the New World, was he not indebted
to the Catholic Church, to her monastic schools, and tq
m
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
educational establishments founded and sustained by that
Church ? ^
Besides claiming the honor of having discovered
America, the Church rightly lays claim to the honor of
civilizing its people. She was the first to succeed in
obtaining gentle treatment, and indeed freedom itself,
for the native Americans. In 1537 Pope Paul the Third
declared in an apostolic brief that the native Indians of
Bartholomew de las Casaa.
America were really and truly free men who should not
be reduced to slavery,
Througliout the four hundred years that have well-
nigh elapsed since the cross of Christ was first planted in
American soil, the Church has continued to send forth
from European lands, heroes of faith and charity to bring
the native Indians, as well as the bold European pioneers,
into a state of civilization. Who does not know, and
honor, and bless the name of that noble son of the Church,
the illustrious Dominican monk. Father Bartholomew de
WHAT AMERICA OWES TO THE OHUllCII.
66
las Cdsas? Five times this intrepid and devoted priest of
God crossed the Atlantic Ocean in order to announce the
glad tidings of eternal salvation to his beloved children, as
he was wont to call the Indians. Five times he returned
to Spain in order to plead the red man's cause, in words
and writing, before the monarchs and great ones of the
kingdom; to save his Indians from oppression, slavery,
and even threatened extinction. With inexpressible pain
and disappointment, he saw all his efforts towards obtain-
ing freedom for the natives rendered abortive by the avarice
and treachery of the Spanish authorities in America. He
therefore resolved, as simple missionary, to conduct the sons
of the forest at least to the freedom of the children of God.
For this purpose he plunged into the vast and intricate
forests of the unknown country, and continued his
laborious and exhausting search after souls up to a feeble
old age. His nights he passed in the open air, in lonely
supplication for the blessings of heaven to descend upon
his poor friendless Indians. His days were spent in their
rude wigwams or at their public gatherings, where he spoke
earnestly and eloquently to the wondering savages about
II true fatherland and supernatural home, where, after the
trials and tribulations of this life, they would enjoy free-
dom and happiness forever. He was called to his own
true home of freedom and peace in 1566, in the ninety-
second year of his age.
Finally, we fear not to assert that the irresistible
advances of America towards religious and civil liberty are
due to the influence and action of the Catholic Church.
Its members were the first to set the example of religious
toleration and of unrestricted liberty of conscience. Lord
Baltimore, the founder of the first settlement within the
State of Maryland, himself a Catholic, promulgated
religious freedom to all settlers in the colony. This was
in the year 1649, at a time when the Protestant authorities
of the other American colonies were enacting penal decrees
(
11
'ill
64
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
educational establishments founded and sustained bv that
Church ? '^
Besides claiming the honor of having discovered
America, the Church rightly lays claim to the honor of
civilizing its people. She was the first to succeed in
obtaining gentle treatment, and indeed freedom itself,
im the native Americans. In 1537 Pope Paul the Third
declared in an apostolic brief that the native Indians of
Bartholomew de las Casaa.
America were really and truly free men who should not
be reduced to slavery.
Throughout the four hundred years that have well-
nigh elapsed since the cross of Christ was first planted in
American soil, the Church has continued to send forth
from European lands, heroes of faith and charity to bring
the native Indians, as well as the bold European pioneers,
into a state of civilization. Who does not know, and
honor, and bless the name of that noble son of the Church,
the illustrious Dominican monk. Father Bartholomew de
WHAT AMERICA OWES TO THE CHUIICII. 65
las Casas? Five times this intrepid and devoted priest of
God crossed the Atlantic Ocean in order to announce the
glad tidings of eternal salvation to his beloved children, as
he was wont to call the Indians. Five times he returned
to Spain in order to plead the red man's cause, in words
and writing, before the monarchs and great ones of the
kingdom; to save his Indians from oppression, slavery,
and even threatened extinction. With inexpressible pain
and disappointment, he saw all his efforts towards obtain-
ing freedom for the natives rendered abortive by the avarice
and treachery of the Spanish authorities in America. He
therefore resolved, as simple missionary, to conduct the sons
of the forest at least to the freedom of the children of God.
For this purpose he plunged into the vast and intricate
forests of the unknown country, and continued his
laborious and exhausting search after souls up to a feeble
old age. His nights he passed in the open air, in lonely
supplication for the blessings of heaven to descend upon
his poor friendless Indians. His days were spent in their
rude wigwams or at their public gatherings, where he spoke
earnestly and eloquently to the wondering savages about
a true fatherland and supernatural home, where, after the
trials and tribulations of this life, they would enjoy free-
dom and happiness forever. He was called to his own
true home of freedom and peace in 1566, in the ninety-
second year of his age.
Finally, we fear not to assert that the irresistible
advances of America towards religious and civil liberty are
due to the influence and action of the Catholic Church.
Its members were the first to set the example of religious
toleration and of unrestricted liberty of conscience. Lord
Baltimore, the founder of the first settlement within the
State of Maryland, himself a Catholic, promulgated
religious freedom to all settlers in the colony. This was
in the year 1649, at a time when the Protestant authorities
of the other American colonies were enacting penal decrees
n
I'.
'i\
f *
K
I
I
66
CHRI8T IN HIS CHURCH.
of banishment, of mutilation, and even of death itself
against all Catholics venturing within the boundaries of
their jurisdiction. Prom 1776 to 1783, in the war against
Great Britain for American Independence, fervent and •
edifying Catholics were found in the front ranks and in
the most honorable and gallant positions. It was a
Catholic who led the Americans in their first naval battle
on the nth of May, 1775. John Barry, a Catholic from
Ireland, was the founder of the United States Navy.
Washington's first adjutant. General Stephen Moylan, was
a son of Catholic Ireland. Catholic priests lent their
peaceful efforts to the success of Independence. Father
John Carroll went on an embassy to the Catholics of
Canada, and secured to no small extent their sympathy
for the cause, and a valuable neutrality, if not an active
co-operation. The patriotic Father Gibault was the first
to pronounce a blessing on the American flag and mingle
holy water with the -Stars and Stripes." Catholic
France, "the eldest daughter of the Church," contributed
not only her armies, commanded by brave and competent
generals, but also many millions of monev, as well as the
mcalculable moral support of her immense influence with
the other nations on the Continent of Europe. Catholic
gentleriien, such as Thomas Fitzsimmons and Charles
Carroll of Carrollton, were eminently instrumental in
bringing to a happy and peaceful union the thirteen
colonies. Washington himself, jifter the proclamation of
peace and triumph, did not hesitate to pay a generous,
though well-deserved, compliment to these Catholics. In
his reply to an address tendered by them, the great general
said that "the country could never forget the patriotic
stand assumed by the Catholics of America and France,
nor the invaluable assistance which they had contributed
towards the independ^iiQ^ of the colonies."
THE CHURCH PLANTED IN AMERICA.
67
i6. The Church planted in America. Its Growth.
"These were men of mercy, whose godly deeds have not failed.
Their posterity are a holy inheritance, and their children for their
sakes remain forever, and their name liveth unto generation and
generation . " — Ecclesiasticus xliv.
After this hasty general glance at the sacred and close
relations between the Church of Christ and America, the
land of the future, let us direct our attention towards those
noble and venerated missionaries, and contemplate the
labors of those holy men who, by their supernatural zeal,
faith, and charity, have proved that the life of Christ can
be prolonged even in the New World.
To-day the two continents of North and South America
contain upwards of fifty-four millions of European emi-
grants, Chinese, and Africans, with some twenty millions
of Indians and mixed breeds, the great majority of whom
belong to the Catholic Church. So devoted to Catholicity
are the Indians in some sections that a recent and well-
informed writer has inscribed upon a mountain-rock the
following sentiment concerning certain tribes: ** When men
say that these savages are simply religious, they convey but
a very imperfect idea of the deep-seated piety and fidelity
pervading their whole lives. They are more a nation of
saints than a herd of wild savages." To save the emigrant
from loss of faith, to guard him against the temptation of
the proselyter, and to teach and baptize the Indian, has
been the chief labor of the American missionary. So
blessed by Providence have these labors been that the life
of Christ has been continued in the wilds of America,
reaching its highest perfection in the seraphic and virginal
soul of St. Rose of Lima.
The very first year following the discovery by Columbus,
twelve priests with the Benedictine abbot. Father Bernard
Boyle, set out, like the twelve apostles under the leadership
41
I
II
THE CHURCH PLANTED IN AMERICA.
69
A MISSIONARY IN AMERICA,
68
of St. Peter fourteen hundred years before, and crossed
the Atlantic to extend the kingdom of Christ. On the
6th of January, 1494, they blessed, on the Island of Hayti,
the first rude temple of the Most High in the New World.
These were soon afterwards followed by the Sons of St.
Francis and of St. Dominic. But the most numerous and
most efficient of all were the black-gowned followers of St.
Ignatius. The Jesuits were the first to penetrate into the
remotest parts of the forests : the first to reach each and
every tribe of Indians ; the first to plant the cross in the
wilderness, and to pour out their warm life's-blood at its
foot. What a brilliant chapter in the history of the life
of Christ has been written on the virgin-page of America's
soil ! The history of well-nigh every American city, of
every American province, presents to us the picture of a
soul-loving Catholic missionary, laboring first to erect his
humble chapel, and then his own lowly home, and then
gathering about him the sons of the forest, reinforced by
the poor but devout and generous settlers from the old
lands across the seas. Like magic, we see this humble
beginning soon transformed into a centre of wealth and
prosperity, but, better yet, into a stately seat of learning,
civilization, and religion. But how describe the hardships,
struggles, and privations of these men of God ? With axe
in hand, they hew their way through the primeval forests.
They wander through the perplexing woodlands and over
the lonely, pathless, boundless prairies. They ford the
rushing stream on foot, and cross the impetuous river and
stormy lake in the frail canoe or on the treacherous float-
ing ice. They battle with supernatural energy against cold
and heat, hunger and thirst, fatigue and illness, and often,
too, against the treachery and murderous designs of the
savage.
But a very few of these early missionaries, with the
sole exception of the apostle of Brazil, Father Antony
Vieyra, died a natural death, or found a last resting-place
i
A MISSIONARY IN AMERICA,
68
THE CHURCH PLANTED IN AMERICA.
69
of St. Peter fourteen hundred vears before, and crossed
the Atlantic to extend the kingdom of Christ. On the
6th of January, 1494, they blessed, on the Island of Hayti,
the first rude temple of the Most High in the New World.
These were soon afterwards followed by the Sons of St.
Francis and of St. Dominic. But the most numerous and
most efficient of all were the black-gowned followers of St.
Ignatius. The Jesuits were the first to penetrate into the
remotest parts of the forests : the first to reach each and
every tribe of Indians ; the first to plant the cross in the
wilderness, and to pour out their warm life's-blood at its
foot. What a brilliant chapter in the history of the life
of Christ has been written on the virgin-page of America's
soil ! The history of well-nigh every American city, of
every American province, presents to us the picture of a
soul-loving Catholic missionary, laboring first to erect his
humble chapel, and then his own lowly Jiome, and then
gathering about him the sons of the forest, reinforced by
the poor but devout and generous settlers from the old
lands across the seas. Like magic, we see this humble
beginning soon transformed into a centre of wealth and
prosperity, but, better yet, into a stately seat of learning,
civilization, and religion. But how describe the hardships,
struggles, and privations of these men of God ? With axe
in hand, they hew their way through the primeval forests.
They wander through the perplexing woodlands and over
the lonely, pathless, boundless prairies. They ford the
rushing stream on foot, and cross the impetuous river and
stormy lake in the frail canoe or on the treacherous float-
ing ice. They battle with su])ernatural energy against cold
and heat, hunger and thirst, fatigue and illness, and often,
too, against the treachery and murderous designs of the
savage.
But a very few of these early missionaries, with the
sole exception of the apostle of Brazil, Father Antony
Vieyra, died a natural death, or found a last resting-place
70
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE CHURCH PLANTED IN AMERICA.
71
in soil consecrated by the blessings of the Church. Some
like Father Marquette, the discoverer of the Mississippi
River, sinking beneath the crushing weight of their labors
h,j down and died peacefully in the wilderness, sur-
rounded only by their afflicted companions, who then dug
the missionary's grave under some majestic tree or near
the bank of » stream, and went away, leaving the place of
sepulture silent and lonely. Others met death at the
Father Marquette.
beds.de of the plague-stricken Indian, offering up their
lives to God as an acceptable sacrifice of charity. Amon?
these were the venerated Fathers Dablon and Turgis
Many died in the silent depths of the forests, unseen by
any eye save God's ; their bodies becoming a prey to the
birds of the air. To many, too, was vouchsafed the more
Sn T n '^' f'^'^'- ^"""S '^''' ^^'^ the ven-
erable Fathers Corpo, Souel, Chabanel, Ribourde, Breboeuf,
Ullemand, and others, who either fell before the piercing
poisoned arrow of the savage or* were treacherously and
unexpectedly assassinated, or else were burnt at the stake,
surrounded only by the untamed redskins, who in their
hideous war-cry drowned the feeble words of prayer uttered
by the dying saints. The soil of the greal State of New
York was consecrated by the blood of Father Jogues.
The most striking evidence of what might have been
attained by self-sacrificing and disinterested missionaries
was seen in the ** reductions" of the Jesuits on the river
La Plata in Paraguay. Like the monks of old in Europe,
after the devastating incursions of the Northmen, these
intrepid Jesuits conceived the plan not only of converting
the Indians to the Christian faith, but to organize them
into free, independent, cultivated, civilized nations.
Their grand enterprise received the approbation and aid
of Philip the Third of Spain in the year 1610. During
the next one hundred and thirty years about thirty "re-
ductions," or colonizations of Indians, were set on foot)
and established on a wise basis. Under the admirable
management of the indefatigable Jesuits, the rude
Indians were trained to agriculture and the trades, and
even to the arts. Even the science of civilized warfare
was not neglected, for the peaceful Jesuits drilled them
in the art and mode of using all warlike weapons for the
purpose of self-defence against aggressive neighbors. The
missionaries were at once teachers, priests, fathers, and
magistrates for the Indians, who were here gradually made
to adapt themselves to the observance of correct morality,
to moderation and the ways of civilized domestic life. The
observance of the law was further assisted by the establish-
ment of pious associations. In an incredibly short space
of time the world saw these depraved and degraded
superstitious savages transformed into gentle, chaste,
patient, pious Christian communities.
Would you now desire. Christian reader, to know the
results of all these apostolical labors? Let the works
I
«
72
CHBISf IN HIS CHURCH.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA.
73
speak for themselves. See the many sumptuous catAe-
drals, the tens of thousands of churches large and small,
the countless cloisters and many bishoprics, the hundreds
of thousands of well-ordered parishes, with more than
forty millions of souls, in North, Central, and South
America; all, too, in communion with the Vicar of Christ
our Holy Father the Pope. Day by day the numbers
grow more and more steadily.
The most remarkable increase in Catholicity has taken
place m the United States of North America. In the
year 1790 these States contained only three millions of
mhabitants, of whom about fifty thousand, or the one-
sixtieth part, were Catholics. In the year 1880, the Church
in the United States counted 6,200,000 Catholics in eleven
archdioceses, forty-eight dioceses, eight apostolic vicariates,
and two apostolic prefectures, with about 5000 priests 6000
churches and chapels, 600 colleges and academies, and 350
cliaritable institutions.
The first permanent organization of the Catholics of the
^tate of New York into a congregation took place about
1785, with the Irish Franciscan, Father Charles Wheelan
as pastor. This congregation, which laid the foundation'-
stone of the first Catholic church in New York, St Petei-'s
has since developed like the grain of mustard-seed into
countless parishes, several bishoprics, and even a cardinal-
ate of the Holy Roman Church.
The first bishop in the United States was Doctor John
Carroll, a man distinguished for his piety, wisdom, and
energy. In the year 1792 he held in Baltimore the first
synod of the Catholic Church in the United States.
ISesides himself, there were present his three vicars, the
director of his Seminary, and sixteen other priests. Sev-
enty-four years later, in October, 1866, at the Plenary
Council of Baltimore, Bishop Carroll's successor was at-
tended by seven ar<|||l|iBhops, thirty-six bishops, and many
The whole of America counts about seventy-four mil-
lions of inhabitants, of whom about forty-thi'ee millions,
or nearly two-thirds, are Catholics.
17. The History of the Church in Australia.
*• For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
himself hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God."— 3 Corinthians iv. 6.
The history of the Church of Christ in Australia, al-
though showing forth the Life of Christ as still continued
in the Mystical Body, throughout every portion of the
world, does not present as brilliant a picture as we have
discovered in that portion of the vineyard planted in
America. Although the chief portion of that country has
been known to Europeans since 1616, and although the
bishopric of Manila had been established ninety years
earlier on one of the Philippine Islands, it was not till
within the present century that the Church made any per-
ceptible progress in that remote land. The insalubrity of
the climate, in many places so bad that the inhabitants
could not survive for a great number of years, but more
especially the persistent opposition of Methodist traders
and speculators, who were growing rich on the ignorance
of the natives, formed an almost insuperable barrier to the
efforts of Catholic missionaries. Yet the blood of some
martyrs, such as the venerable Fathers Chanel and Moz-
zuconi, Bishop Epal, and others, has watered Australia's
soil and become the seed of Christianity.
In West Australia the flourishing and extensive mis-
sions of the Benedictines give promise of great success in
the future. The Spanish Benedictine, Salvado, Bishop of
Porto Victoria, and Serra, Bishop of Perth, accompanied
by forty members of their Order, plunged into the depths
of the primeval forests, with the view of founding a New
I
' \
f
I
74
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE CATHOLIC WORLD.
75
mirsia, as a nucleus of future civilization. What was con-
sidered in Europe an impossibility became a reality
under the indomitable zeal and perseverance of the Sons
of St. Benedict. The savage aborigines withdrew in great
numbers from their wild nomadic mode of life, and under
the mild and intelligent direction of the monks learned to
till the soil, acquired a variety of trades, and to-day they
constitute a model colony of religious, civilized people. A
Protestant clergyman who had visited the settlement avers
that what he saw there reminded him forcibly of the early
ages of Christianity.
At the present time this continent of Oceanica, com-
prising New Zealand and other islands large and small
numbers about half a million of Catholics, governed and
taught by some twenty-three bishops or apostolic vicars
and a large body of zealous, self-sacrificing priests.
I8. The Catholic World.
*' Thousands of thousands ministered to him. and ten thousand
times a hundred thousand stood before him. He was given a kins-
dom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him."-DANiEL
wll»
If we cast a glance at the condition of the Catholic
Church at the present day, we discover that it numbers
m Europe one hundred and forty-six million souls ; in
Asia, counting the adjacent islands, about three millions •
m America, forty-three millions; and in Australia, about
half a million of souls. In regard to the number of her
chief pastors and rulers, we learn from the official register
of May 1st, 1870, that at the Ecumenical Council of the
Vatican m Rome there were present fifty-one Cardinals
eleven Patriarchs, ten Primates, one hundred and sixty-six
Archbishops, and seven hundred and thirty-nine Bishops.
Thus has Christ manifested himself to all the peoples
of the earth : thus has he founded and built up his
Church. This glorious universal kingdom numbers two
hundred millions of faithful laity, under the guidance of
more than one hundred thousand chief pastors, and nearly
three hundred thousand priests, missionary and secular.
Besides, it counts more than seven thousand Religious
Houses, with one hundred thousand Religious men, and
above nine thousand convents with one hundred and ten
thousand Religious women, all serving God under the
^s^r""/ r r ,
The Kingdom of Christ
evangelical counsels of voluntary poverty, unlimited obe
dience, and holy virginity, and steadily advancing in the
ways of Christian perfection.
What a glorious kingdom ! How immense in its ex-
tent ! Yet how well proportioned, and how closely con-
nected and beautifully co-ordinate its many members !
All set in motion and spiritual life by Jesus Christ, gov-
erned and guided by one visible Chief Shepherd, the In-
fallible Pope. It is illuminated by the inextinguishable
m
/
i
iAc:.
74
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE CATHOLIC WORLD.
75
Nursia, as a nucleus of future civilization. What was con-
sidered in Europe an impossibility became a reality
under the indomitable zeal and perseverance of the Sons
of St. Benedict. The savage aborigines withdrew in great
numbers from their wild nomadic mode of life, and under
the mild and intelligent direction of the monks learned to
tiU the soil, acquired a variety of trades, and to-day they
constitute a model colony of religious, civilized people. A
Protestant clergyman who had visited the settlement avers
that what he saw there reminded him forcibly of the earlv
ages of Christianity.
At the present time this continent of Oceanica, com-
prising New Zealand and other islands large and small
aumbers about half a million of Catholics, governed and
taught by some twenty-three bishops or apostolic vicars,
and a large body of zealous, self-sacrificing priests.
i8. The Catholic World.
"Thousands of thousands ministered to him. and ten thousand
times a hundred thousand stood before him. He was given a king-
dom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him."— Daniel
▼li.
If we cast a glance at the condition of the Catholic
phurch at the present day, we discover that it numbers
in Europe one hundred and forty-six million souls ; in
Asia, counting the adjacent islands, about three millions •
m America, forty-three millions ; and in Australia, about
half a million of souls. In regard to the number of her
chief pastors and rulers, we learn from the official register
of May 1st, 1870, that at the Ecumenical Council of the
Vatican in Rome there were present fifty-one Cardinals
eleven Patriarchs, ten Primates, one hundred and sixty-six
Archbishops, and seven hundred and thirty-nine Bishops.
Thus has Christ manifested himself to all tiie peoples
of the earth : thus has he founded and built up his
Church. This glorious universal kingdom numbers two
hundred millions of faithful laity, under the guidance of
more than one hundred thousand chief pastors, and nearly
three hundred thousand priests, missionary and secular.
Besides, it counts more than seven thousand Religious
Houses, with one hundred thousand Religious men, and
above nine thousand convents with one hundred and ten
thousand Religious women, all serving God under the
.s^r« •"/ r
The Kingdom of Christ
evangelical counsels of voluntary poverty, unlimited obe
dience, and holy virginity, and steadily advancing in the
ways of Christian perfection.
What a glorious kingdom ! How immense in its ex-
tent ! Yet how well proportioned, and how closely con-
nected and beautifully co-ordinate its many members !
All set in motion and spiritual life by Jesus Christ, gov-
erned and guided by one visible Chief Shepherd, the In-
fallible Pope. It is illuminated by the inextinguishable
76
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
rays of one only faith, inflamed and vivified by the fires
of universal Christian charity. It is governed by the un-
disputed and undisputable authority of the same divine
eternal law. It is animated into active healthful life by
the seven-fold power of one and the same divine grace in
the seven Sacraments. It imbibes a renewed vitality and
courage from the living fountain of the one same Sacrifice
of the Mass. Its members are tending towards one and
the same goal, eternal happiness in heaven. Verily no
such kingdom hath ever been built by the hand of mortal
man. It is without a parallel in history.
Such is the kingdom of Jesus Christ, of the King of all
kings, of our most adorable, most loving and lovable Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ ; the glorious Church of Kome.
Even to-day, upon this earth, he continues to live in his
"Mystic Body," for worthy faithful members still live the
Life of Christ. He is indeed the real and truly glorious
Solomon of whom the Psalmist sings : " And he shall con-
tmue with the sun, and before the moon, throughout all
generations. In his days shall justice spring up, and
abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away. And
he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth. Before him the Ethiopians shall fall
down, and his enemies shall lick the ground. The kings
of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents ; the kings
of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts ; and all
kings of the earth shall adore him, all nations shall serve
him, and the whole earth shall be filled with his majesty."
This kingdom Jesus has built up for himself. He con-
tinues, amid all the opposition and persecution of the
world, to build it up, and to maintain it day by day, now
and forever.
" Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised
vaan things ? The kings of the earth stood up, and the
princes met together, against the Lord, and against his
Christ. Let us break their bonds asunder, and let us
THE CATHOLIC WORLD.
77
cast away their yoke from us. He that dwelleth in heaven
shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall deride them. But
I am appointed king by him over Sion, his holy mountain.
I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the
utmost parts of the earth for thy possession."
In this kingdom Christ lives and reigns, and carries
out his work of Redemption in a miraculous, mysterious,
and real efficacy, and he will do so till the end of time.
Blessed be the name of his majesty forever ; the whole
earth shall be filled with his glory.
CHAPTER III.
THE HISTORY OF CATHOLIC WOR-
SHIP.
JESUS CHRIST LIVES IK HIS CHURCH AS REDEEMER AKD
HIGH-PRIEST.
19. What is Catholic Worship ?
"Let usbeglad and rejoice, and giveglory to God: for the mar
riage of the Lamb," that is to say, Jesus Christ, "is come, and liis
wife," that is to say, the Church, "hath prepared herself. Blessed
are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. "—Apoc-
alypse xix. 7 et seg.
XESUS CHRIST having established his kingdom for all
^ ages and places in this world, all men are really his
subjects; indeed they truly and actually belong to him ; for,
as high-priest and victim, he has purchased them by his
bleeding sacrifice on the cross. And as he thus made them
his own at the expense of his life's blood, he maintains his
right to own them continually ; for he is constantly renew-
ing his sacrifice, and thus continues to live in his Church
as high-priest for all time. Hence the sacrifice of the Mass
is the chief centre or focus of Christian worship ; and Christ
IS himself the sacrificing priest. He himself, by the hand
and lips of the priest, renews his atoning sacrifice in a true
and real manner, and makes it present in all places
Through the influence of the Holy Ghost, he moves the
authorities of the Church to adorn and embellish this high-
priestly service of God with symbolical ceremonies, tender
PLACES OF WORSHIP.
79
I
devotional practices, glorious festivals, and sumptuous
temples.
Christian worship is specially the continuation of the
espousals of the heavenly bridegroom with his bride, of
the High-priest with his Church. It is their mutual and
mysterious interchange of love. The God-man bridegroom
gives himself to his spouse through the sacrifice of his
sacramental body and blood in the Mass, and the Church,
his spouse, advancing towards the High-priestly bride-
groom, gives herself to him by that adoration and homage
of love so clearly expressed in her ceremonies, devout
exercises, festivals, and temples.
20. Places of Worship.
" Indeed, the Lord is in this place. How terrible is this place !
this is no other but tlie house of God, and the gate of heaven."—
Genesis xxviii. 16, 17.
The places in which the Apostles and their first succes-
sors assembled with the faithful for the celebration of
iivine service were simple rooms, or large halls in private
houses. Many among the wealthy who had become con-
verted to Christianity were glad to throw open their dwell-
ings for the gathering of the small congregations of early-
Christians. But very soon the persecutions became so
Tiolent, that the faithful found themselves compelled to
retire to obscure and secret hiding-places for the celebration
of the sacred mysteries— even to caverns, cellars, and burial-
places.
The most memorable of these places of refuge were the
Roman catacombs: immense and intricate subterranean
excavations, in which the Christians of the first three cen-
turies used to bury their dead, and especially the holy
martyrs. Into these gloomy homes of the dead the Chris-
tians fled in times of persecution, and here they excavated
\
*v.
80
CHRIST IN ins CHURCH.
in tlie rocks large and sometimes very richly decorated
chapels. The tomb of some holy martyr usually formed
the consecrated altar-stone. A venerable and gray-haired
man stands before one of these altars in the act of offering
sacrifice. More than once has he suffered for the cause
of Christ, and even now he bears on his venerable person
the marks of persecution. This is the bishop of Kome,
who has gathered about him in the silent gloom of the
catacombs his pious and faithful flock, whom he prepares
Tombs in the Catacombs
and strengthens against impendmg martyrdom, by impart-
ing to them the heavenly Bread of Life. These catacombs
beneath the soil of Rome were the subterranean, well-guard-
ed retreats where the Avarriors of Christ used to arm them-
selves with the word of God, sacrifice, prayer, mutual
intercession and exhortations, for the glorious victory
soon to be won over Rome itself above ground. And lo,
after a conflict of three hundred years, the early Christians
gained the day. Prayer, sacrifice, and martyr's blood
triumphed. Heathen Rome fell, and the Emperor Con-
PLACES OF WORSHIP.
81
stantine the Great exalted the banner of the Cross above
the Roman eagle.
From this time forward we everywhere see, both m the
east and in the west, glorious temples of stately proportions
and of various styles of architecture* rising aloft in honor
of the world's Redeemer. The usual ground-plan of the
early Christian church was in the form of a cross, to repre-
sent the cross of Calvary. The upper and shorter portion,
Mass in the Catacombs.
containing the choir and the altar of sacrifice, represented
the head of Christ ; the larger and longer shaft, occupied
by the people, denoted the body of the saviour, while the
two wings, one on the right and the other on the left,
represented the extended arms of the dying Redeemer.
♦These different styles are cliiefly known as (1) the ancient Chris-
tian Basilica; (2) the Byzantine style, with its vaulted cupolas; (3) the
Romanesque style, dating from the year 1000 to 1225; (4) the Gothic
Style down to 1525; (5) the Renaissance style.
:,
|/
80
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
in the rocks large and sometimes very richly decorated
chapels. The tomb of some holy martyr usually formed
the consecrated altar-stone. A venerable and gray-haired
man stands before one of these altars in the act of offering
sacrifice. More than once has he suffered for the cause
of Chi'ist, and even now he bears on his venerable person
the marks of persecution. This is the bishop of Kome,
who has gathered about him in the silent gloom of the
catacombs his pious and faithful flock, whom he prepares
Tombs 111 the Catacombs
and strengtliens against impending martvrdom, by impart-
ing to them the heavenly Bread of Life. ^ These catacombs
beneath the soil of Rome were the subterranean, well-guard-
ed retreats where the warriors of Christ used to arm them-
selves with the word of God, sacrifice, prayer, mutual
iiil^rcession and exhortations, for the glorious victory
soon to be won over Kome itself above ground. And lo,
after a conflict of three hundred years, the early Christians
gained the day. Prayer, sacrifice, and martyr's blood
triumphed. Heathen Rome fell, and the Emperor Con-
PLACES OF WORSHIP.
81
stantine the Great exalted the banner of the Cross above
the Roman eagle.
From this time forward we everywhere see, both in the
east and in the west, glorious temples of stately proportions
and of various styles of architecture* rising aloft in honor
of the world's Redeemer. The usual ground-plan of the
early Christian church was in the form of a cross, to repre-
sent the cross of Calvary. The upper and shorter portion.
Mass in the Catacombs.
containing the choir and the altar of sacrifice, represented
the head of Christ ; the larger and longer shaft, occupied
by the people, denoted the body of the saviour, while the
two wings, one on the right and the other on the left,
represented the extended arms of the dying Redeemer.
♦These different styles are chiefly known as (1) the ancient Chris-
tian Basilica ; (2) the Byzantine style, with its vaulted cupolas ; (3) the
Romanesque style, dating from the year 1000 to 1225; (4) the Gothic
Style down to 1525; (5) the Renaissance style.
82
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
83
Graceful columns, supporting the arches of the lofty and
spacious vaults above, carried the hearts and souls of the
faithful towards heaven. Mighty towers and airy domes
announced to the distant traveller that here the Km<r of
kings had laid the faundations of his throne. Within
these sacred edifices, on pillar and side-wall, on ceiling
and window, painters and sculptors exhausted their skill in
representing the glory of the Saviour and the excessive
wealth of his mercy.
St. Peter's, Rome.
But who can enumerate all the temples erected to the
honor of the one true God during the fifteen hundred
years following the deliverance from the catacombs ? and
built, too, not merely by tlie munificence of kings and
princes, but by the offerings of millions of poorer people,
of pious workmen and artisans, wlio considered it a priv-
ilege and an honor to contribute their mite or give their
labor to add to the glory of the great High-priest Jesus
Christ, ever present in these temples. It is thus that the
i f" n
great cathedrals of our own day are erected. It was in this
manner that, two hundred and fifty years ago, the most
magnificent temple on earth, St. Peter's Church at Rome,
was raised in all its costly and splendid proportions above
the tomb of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. The
millions of dollars expended on this prodigy of architecture
were the love-offerings of the whole Catholic world. And
it has never occurred to the mind of any true Christian to
term such generosity a useless extravagance, for he knows
that where and when our great High-priest Jesus Christ is
pleased to pour out his wealth of divine grace, it becomes
the duty of rich and poor to consecrate to his service the
best they have, and to give it joyfully and gratefully.
21. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
"And the liigh-priest went up to the lioly altar. He shone in
Ills davs as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, so did he shine
in the temple of God, and he honored the vesture of holiness. And
as branches of palm-tree, so they stood round about him, all the sons
of Aaron in their glory. And the oblation of the Lord was in their
hands, before all the congregation, and finishing his service on the
altar, to honor the offering of the Most High King. And the singers
lifted up their voices, and in the great house the sound of sweet
melody was increased."— Ecclesiasticus 1.
From the history of church-edifices let us now turn to
ecclesiastical practices and ceremonies. Here, too, we
shall discover a gradual and ever more glorious develop-
ment and advancement; for the kingdom of God being
like the mustard-seed must grow and spread.
The manner of performing divine service in the days of
the Apostles is described by St. Luke in the Acts of the
Apostles, and by St. Paul in his Epistles. The life and
soul of the service was the commemoration of the Last
Supper, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was accom-
panied with common prayer, reading of passages from
1 1
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CHRIST m HIS CHURCH.
Graceful columns, supporting the arches of tlie lofty and
spacious vaults above, carried tlie hearts and souls of the
faithful towards heaven. Mighty towers and aiiy domes
announced to the distant traveller that here the Kin^- of
kings had laid the foundations of his throne Within
these sacred edifices, on pillar and side-wall, on ceilin-
and window, painters and sculptors exhausted their skill in
representing the glory of the Saviour and the excessive
wealtli of his mercy.
HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
83
St. Peters, Rome.
But who can enumerate all the temples erected to the
honor of the one true God during the fifteen hundred
years following the deliverance from the catacombs ? and
built, too, not merely by the munificence of kings and
prmces, but by the offerings of millions of poorer people,
of pious workmen and artisans, who considered it a priv-
ilege and an honor to contribute their mite or give their
labor to add to the glory of the great High-priest Jesus
Christ, ever present in these temples. It is thus that the
great cathedrals of our own day are erected. It was in this
manner that, two hundred and fifty years ago, the most
magnificent temple on earth, St. Peter's Church at Kome,
was raised in all its costly and splendid proportions above
the tomb of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. The
millions of dollars expended on this prodigy of architecture
were the love-offerings of the whole Catholic world. And
it has never occurred to the mind of any true Christian to
term such generosity a useless extravagance, for he know^s
that where and when our great High-i)riest Jesus Christ is
pleased to pour out his wealth of divine grace, it becomes
the duty of rich and poor to consecrate to his service the
best they have, and to give it joyfully and gratefully.
21. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
"And the high-priest went up to the holy altar. Tie shone in
liis davs as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, so did he shine
iu the\emple of God, and he honored the vesture of holiness. And
as branches of palm-tree, so they stood round about him, all the sons
of Aaron in their glory. And the oblation of the Lord was in their
hands, before all the congregation, and finishing his service on Ihe
altar, to honor the offering of the Most High King. And the singers
lifted up their voices, and in the great house the sound of sweet
melody was increased."— Ecclesiasticus 1.
From the history of church-edifices let us now turn to
ecclesiastical practices and ceremonies. Here, too, we
shall discover a gradual and ever more glorious develop-
ment and advancement; for the kingdom of God being
like the mustard-seed must grow and spread.
The manner of performing divine service in the days of
the Apostles is described by St. Luke in the Acts of the
Apostles, and by St. Paul in his Epistles. The life and
soul of the service was the commemoration of the Last
Supper, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was accom-
panied with common prayer, reading of passages from
84
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
holy Scripture with explanations, chanting of psalms and
Christian hymns, and a general love-feast. The manner
m which all these exercises were united with the essential
act of worship proper— namely, the offering of bread and
wine, and the Transubstantiation— was not so unalterably
appointed as it is in our time. But in the course of the
first few centuries it became gradually fixed by the decrees
of bishops, Councils, and Popes. Even as early as the time
of Constantme the Great, about the year 325, the prayers
and ceremonies of mass were much the same, and appointed
in the same order, as we have them to-day.
Divine service, among the primitive Christians, was
divided into two parts; namely, the Mass of the Cate-
chumens, at which unbaptized candidates for Christianity
penitents, and even pagans, might be present, and the
Mass proper, at which only the baptized faithful could
assist. The Mass of the Catechumens began with a recital
of psalms sung by the faithful in alternate choirs, and
corresponding to the prayers now repeated at the foot of
the altar by the celebrant with his ministers at the begin-
ning of mass. Then was repeated a supplication for
mercy, A^rte eleison, followed by a hymn of praise, Gloria
m Excehis, to the thrice holy God; after which the cele-
brant greeted the people with the words, '' The Lord be
with you," Dowinus voUscum, or Pax VoMs, and then
recited, ^ the name of all, the series of prayers called the
Collect. Then a lector ascended the pulpit to read a
passage from the epistles of the Apostles or from the Old
lestament. A psalm, graduale, was then chanted, and
the gospel having been first sung by a deacon, was after-
wards explained to the people by the bishop. Here ended
the Mass of the Catechumens, and the deacon then directed
them and the unbelievers and the penitents to retire
The Mass proper began with the selection, from the
offerings brought by the people, of the bread and wine
for the sacrifice. The matter selected for the sacrifice
HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
85
was now offered up, the deacon poured water on the
bishop's hands for the washing, and then came the repeated
inquiry to the people whether any one amongst them had
any ill-will in his heart against his brother. The bishop
then sang the praises of God in the " Preface," closing it
with the angelic hymn, ''Holy, holy, holy Lord God of
hosts," Sanckis, "The heavens and the earth are full of
thy glory," and the whole congregation joined in the strain.
Now began the most solemn part of the Mass, called the
" Canon," a portion which, from the time of Gregory the
Great— that is, about the year 600— to our own day, has
remained unchanged. To the prayers for the living suc-
ceeded the Consecration, or act of transubstantiation, the
elevation of the consecrated species, the prayers for the
faithful departed, the Fater Noster, the Agnus Dei,
the kiss of peace, and then holy Communion was admin-
istered, first to the celebrant by himself, and then to the
faithful in attendance; a portion of the Communion being
preserved in a vessel or tabernacle. Prayers of thanks-
giving then ensued, and the people were formally dis-
missed by the deacon with the words, Ite missa est—
** Depart, mass is over."
What intense feelings of reverence and of consolation
fill our souls when we remember that the same holy sacri-
fice of the mass at which we assist to-day has been sol-
emnized during fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen hundred
years in precisely the same way by our ancestors in the
faith! When, notwithstanding the very solicitous secrecy
with which the Christians of the first four centuries con-
cealed their holy mysteries from Jews and pagans, we learn
from the writings of the most ancient church-fathers, as
well as from venerable relics, from original inscriptions,
and from images found in the catacombs, that even in
those times the belief in the Keal Presence of Christ in
the Blessed Eucharist was held, and taught, and reduced
to practice, our souls overflow with grateful feelings to
!'
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CHRIST m HIS CHUBCH.
Jesus Christ for having permitted iis to be members of
that Mystical Body in which he has lived, in which he still
lives, and in which he shall continue to live forever. What
a comfort to know from all the above-mentioned evidences
that our Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was, in all ages of
Christianity just as in our own, offered up for both the
living and the dead! It is a consolation and an assurance
to know that not only has the essential portion of this
The Fountain of Grace.
Ho y Sacrifice remained without change since the very hour
pf the Last Supper, but that even its very outward sym-
bols and ceremonies as we have them to-day were strictlv
and permanently established during the earliest ages Jt
the Church by such saintly and learned men as St. Bji^il,
bt Chrysostom, St. Ambrose, St. Gelasius, St. Leo the
Great, and St. Gregory the Great. Even in the smallest
matters of ceremony we are in accord with primitive
HISTORY OF BAPTISM.
87
Christianity. Thus it becomes evident that Jesus Christ
still leads in his Church the real life of her great High-
priest; whilst all her ritual is but a veritable though myste-
rious continuation of his great work of atonement. Thus
the Life of Christ still goes on till the end of time, aye,
even unto eternity.
In very early times it was permitted to offer up the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass in private houses. Thus, for example,
St. Augustine, a holy doctor of the Church, tells us about
a certain man named Hesperus, the members of whose
household were annoyed by an evil spirit. " One day,"
writes the saint, ''when I was absent, Hesperus besought
our priests that one of them would come to his house and
by prayer drive away the demons. A priest went, and
offered up the saxjrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ,
fervently beseeching the Lord that the aflliction might
depart from the household. Through the mercy of God,
the petition was granted." However, as in the course of
time some abuses attended this custom, the Church
forbade the celebration of mass in private houses. In
America, in newly and sparsely settled districts, where
the few Catholics are as yet unable to erect churches, the
missionary priest, like his predecessor in the first cen-
turies, is often glad to find an opportunity of offering the
Holy Sacrifice, and of preaching the Word of God, in the
humble home of some devout parishioner. As the Cath-
olics increase in number and means, the little church with
its permanent altar is taking the place of the poor man's
cottage.
22. The History of Baptism.
"I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed
from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols."
EZECHIEL XXXVi.
The graces resulting from Christ's unceasing Sacrifice
of atonement, and which for well-nigh two thousand years
1 1
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,
86
CHRIST m HIS CHURCH.
Jesiis Christ for liaving permitted us to be members of
that Mystical Body in which he has lived, in which he still
lives, and in wliich lie shall continue to live forever. What
a comfort to know from all the above-mentioned evidences
that our Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was, in all ages of
Christianity just as in our own, offered up for both the
hvmg and tlie dead! It is a consolation and an assurance
to know that not only has the essential portion of this
The Fountain of Grace.
Holy Sacrifice remained without change since the very hour
pf the Last Supper, but that even its ve.7 outward sym-
bols and ceremonies as we have them to-duy were strictly
and ijermanently established d.ning the earliest ages o^
the Church by such saintly and learned men as St. Biisil,
bt. Chrysostom, St. Ambrose, St. Gelasius, St. Leo the
Great, and St. Gregory the Great. Even in the smallest
matters of ceremony we are in accord with primitive
HISTORY OF BAPTISM.
87
Christianity. Thus it becomes evident that Jesus Christ
still leads in his Church the real life of her great High-
priest; whilst all her ritual is but a veritable though myste-
rious continuation of his great work of atonement. Thus
the Life of Christ still goes on till the end of time, aye,
even unto eternity.
In very early times it was permitted to offer up the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass in private houses. Thus, for example,
St. Augustine, a holy doctor of the Church, tells us about
a certain man named Hesperus, the members of whose
household were annoyed by an evil spirit. *' One day,"
writes the saint, ''when I was absent, Hesperus besought
our priests that one of them would come to his house and
by prayer drive away the demons. A priest went, and
offered up the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ,
fervently beseeching the Lord that the affliction might
depart from the household. Through the mercy of God,
the petition was granted." However, as in the course of
time some abuses attended this custom, the Church
forbade the celebration of mass in private houses. In
America, in newly and sparsely settled districts, where
the few Catholics are as yet unable to erect churches, the
missionary priest, like his predecessor in the first cen-
turies, is often glad to find an opportunity of offering the
Holy Sacrifice, and of preaching the AVord of God, in the
humble home of some devout parishioner. As the Cath-
olics increase in number and means, the little church with
its permanent altar is taking the place of the poor man's
cottage.
22. The History of Baptism.
"I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed
from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols."
EZECHIEL XXXVi.
The graces resulting from Christ's unceasing Sacrifice
of atonement, and which for well-nigh two thousand years
88
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
have been poured out upon all Christendom, have come to
us through the channels of the seven Sacraments. The
Life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is still pro-
longed and continued in a mystical manner on earth, in
and through these Sacraments. It cannot then be olher-
wise than agreeable, a^ well as profitable, to examine
briefly whatever history furnishes us regarding the admin-
istration of these same cherished Sacraments.
According to the teaching of Christ, the Sacrament of
Baptism was always considered not only as a deliverance
from original sin, but especially as an admission into
the kingdom of God, and to membership in the Church
In the early ages of Christianity the person to be baptized
was immersed formally into the water; and from the
fourth century, buildings adapted to this manner of
administering the Sacraments were erected near the
churches and were called baptisteries. The sick, how-
ever, and the feeble, and later all persons without dis-
tinction, were baptized by the pouring on of water.
Although infant-baptism was practised at a very early
period, yet this holy Sacrament was chiefly administered
to grown persons who had been converted from paganism
or Judaism to the Christian faith. These were required
to spend a long time, sometimes two or three years, in pre-
paration and in the study of the Christian doctrine, and
were termed Catechumens. Originally bishops only were,
according to rule, ministers of this Sacrament, though
priests were permitted to baptize in very remote ages.
Baptism was given on any day of the week, though mostly
on Sundays. The appointment of Easter Saturday and
Whitsun eve as special days for the solemn administration
of this Sacrament was more recent. Even in the days of
the Apostles it was customary to select sponsors as wit-
nesses, and as sureties of fidelity to the faith on the part
of the person baptized. The vows or promises, the use of
blessed salt, of holy oil and the burning light, a« well as
HISTORY OF CONFIRMATION.
89
the blessing of the baptismal water, have their origin in
Christian antiquity. The candidate for baptism was
required to turn towards the west when renouncing the
devil and his works, and towards the east when promising
allegiance to Christ. After baptism he was clothed with
a long white garment. Similar garments were worn by
those baptized on Holy Saturday during the ensuing week
till the Sunday called Low Sunday, or Sunday in albis, when
they laid them aside with certain ceremonies and prayers.
23. The History of Confirmation.
"And when Paul had imposed hands on them, the Holy Ghost
came upon them."— Acts of the Apostles, xix. 6.
Confirmation was at first regularly administered immedir
ately after Baptism, and was therefore considered as a com-
pletion of that Sacrament. The Apostles usually imposed
hands upon the newly baptized, in order to impart to them
the gifts of the Holy Ghost and, besides making them
children of God, to enroll them as soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Joined to this imposition of hands, even in early times, we
find the marking of the candidate with the sign of the
cross, and the anointing with holy chrism; according to
the statement of Tertullian: ''The body is anointed in
order that the soul may be healed; the body is signed in
order that the soul may be strengthened; the body is over-
shadowed by the imposition of hands, that the soul may
thereby be enlightened by the Holy Ghost." In regard to
the use of chrism at confirmation, St. Cyril, a father of
the Church, writes the following beautiful and significant
words: '* Be sure that you do not consider this oil of
anointing to be common oil, or something of no account.
For just as the bread of the Eucharist, by the invocation
to the Holy Spirit, is no longer common bread, but the
body of Christ, so this consecrated unction is, after the
,
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CHRIST IN ni8 CHURCH.
IDTocation no longer simple oil, nor an ordinaiy anoint-
ing, bat It makes the gifts of Christ and of the Holy Ghost
effectual -and oi,eratiye through the presence of his
dmnity In the fourth century the Church began to
admmister these two holy Sacraments of Baptism and
Confirmation separately, and the administration of the
latter was gradually reserved to the bishops. Of this St
Jerome gives us clear proof, when he says: "It is acustom
in the Church, when the priest or deacon in some small
remote place administers the Sacrament of Baptism, for
the bishop to visit those places, in order to impose hands
on such baptized persons, and to call down the Holy Ghost
npon them." The very name of the Sacrament, Con-
hrmation, expresses a strengthening, and signifies that the
faithful are fortified by this holy Sacrament, in a super-
natural manner, to believe and profess their faith. Bein"
a Sacrament of the living, it must be received only when
the candidate is in a state of grace, and consequently those
to be confirmed are to be prepared by a good confession.
24. The History of the Holy Eucharist.
nigh to them as our God is prescnt."-DEUT. iv. 7.
OhS!v ^ri'''*''''""'^ reverence shown by the primitive
Christians towards the all-holy Sacrament of the Altar, and
of the love which they cherished toward it, we are in-
formed by the holy Scripture; whilst pictures, signs, sym-
bols, and inscriptions found in the catacombs, as well as
innumerable passages from the works of the ancient
Church-writers, give us indubitable proof. Strength for
Chnstian life, comfort in tribulation, courage in persecu-
tion joyous resignation to martyrdom, all these were
sought and found by the firstlings of our faith in the
heavenly food of the Eucharist. It was a universal cus-
HISTOKY OF THE HOLT EUCHARIST.
91
1I'
torn to receive it daily,* as the daily supernatural bread.
To those who were present at the ** breaking of bi-ead," it
was placed upon their outstretched hands to be imme-
diately consumed, while to the sick and imprisoned it was
carried by the deacons. Travellers and hermits were per-
mitted to carry the Blessed Sacrament away in a clean
cloth. These last, as well as the sick, received Commu-
nion under one kind only, the form of bread ; because it
was always firmly believed, from the very beginning, that
the precious blood of our Lord was inseparably united to
his body in the Blessed Sacrament, and hence that the
entirety of Jesus Christ was received even under one form.
Gradually, for the most important reasons, Commu-
nion under only one form became more frequent for all
the laity, and finally, since the fourteenth century, it has
become general. In the beginning, the early Christians,
like the Apostles at the last supper and afterwards, received
in the evening; but as, in the course of time, many abuses
crept in, it became the custom towards the end of the sec-
ond century to receive Communion in the morning, before
breaking fast. Since the fourth century this practice has
been made a general law by the action of more than one
Council.
In the days of the primitive Christians the Blessed
Sacrament used to be most frequently carefully kept in a
costly casket which hung over the altar, and had the form
of a dove on the wing. Afterwards the so-called sacra-
mentary shrines came into use. These usually stood on
the Gospel side of the altar. Many of them were elabo-
rately wrought and handsomely decorated towers, such
as may be seen even at the present day in many Gothic
* It was only after the lapse of centuries that the Church was
compelled to command her children to receive Communion at least
three times a year; namely, at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.
And even this precept was limited by the fourth Lateran Council
to the one communion at Easter.
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CH,..mgA J|N HIS CHURCH,
churches. Sometimes these shrines were imbedded in
the wall of the church and had richly wrouglit doors.
Finally, in later ages, the modern tabernacle, standing in
the middle of the altar, has become the i)ermauent reposi-
tory of the most holy Sacrament of the* Altai*.
flg. The History of the Sacrament of Penance.
"Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send
you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive
they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain they are
retained." — John xx. 21.
• In air ages, as ill our own day, holy Communion was
administered to those who had been unhappily guilty of sin,
ouly after a worthy receptiou of the Sacrament of Penance,
by a sincere confession of their sins, a firm pur])ose of
amendment, and a comjjliance with the penance enjoined.
Thus we read in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of
the Apostles that in consequence of the miracles per-
formed by St. Paul, not only Jews and pagans, but even
Christians, were seized with fear, and came confessing
their sins. To the very first Christians of antiquity, the
holy Evangelist St. John, in his twentieth chapter,
announced and declared that the Apostles had received
from Christ the commission, and from the Holy Ghost the
power, to remit sins. In the first chapter of his Epistle he
imparts this consoling truth to sinners: ''It we confess
our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all iniquity" (1 John i.). In the
year 200 we hear the learned Tertullian speaking and writ-
mg of Confession as something in general use, and of
priestly absolution as a priceless treasure of grace. But he
adds that even in his time there were many who tried to
escape the duty of Confession entirely, or who put it off
from one day to another, being more troubled about a
HISTORY OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 93
false shame than about the salvation of their souls. Thus
some individuals, known as Novatians, objected to the
usage of the Church, saying that it was impossible for one
man to forgive the sins of another. But the learned doc-
tor of the early Church, St. Ambrose, answered them
pointedly: *'Why, then," said he, ''do you baptize?
Sins are forgiven in Baptism, and it is about the same
thing whether the priest exercises the ample power given
to him in Baptism or in Penance; in either of these two
Sacraments the power exercised is the same."
Besides private confession we also meet in Christian
antiquity the practice ot a public confession of sins. This
latter, on account of many abuses, fell into disuse in the
fifth and sixth centuries. The penances imposed in early
times for the commission of sins appear to us very severe.
Murderers, adulterers, blasphemers, and other great
criminals were not permitted, during several years subse-
quent to their crime, to be present at or take part in pub-
lic worship. Standing or else lying prostrate before the
public entrance to the church, they besought the prayers
of those who passed in. They were denied the use of
wine and of flesh-meat, and if they were rich they were
required to devote large sums of money to the poor or to
the Church, or to undertake difficult pilgrimages to Kome,
Jerusalem, or some other distant place.
Gradually, in course of time, especially in the sixth,
seventh, and eighth centuries, penalties formally propor-
tioned and appointed for the different kinds and grades
of sin were inscribed in the book of canonical penances,
and they were strictly enforced for many subsequent cen-
turies. How otherwise could the Catholic Church, in the
early part of the middle ages, have subdued the savage
and barbarous nations of heathendom and bring them to
the freedom of the children of God? Moreover, great
stress was constantly laid upon the truth that all these
outward works of penance could have no value before God
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
if they were not animated by a spirit of humble contrition
and a firm purpose of amendment.
In regard to the manner in which the holy Sacrament
of Penance used to be administered about fifteen hundred
years ago, there is still extant a description by Alcuin, a
learned and celebrated monk who was the professor of
Charlemagne. He gives it as an extract from the most
ancient of the penitential books of the Church. It shows
that the mode then followed of reconciling a sinner to God
was about the same aa now, though somewhat longer.
26. The History of Extreme Unction.
" Though I should walk in the midst of the shadows of death, I
will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thou hast anointed my
head with oil, and thy mercy will follow me, that I may dwell in
the house of the Lord." — Psalms xxii.
As our Saviour had directed his Apostles to anoint the
sick (Mark vi. 13), and as St. James the Apostle had
admonished the faithful, saying: **Is any man sick among
yon? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let
them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
^of the Lord" (James v. 14), both priests and faithful
hastened to obey the order in the very earliest times; as
we are assured by the holy fathers of the Church. Thus,
for example, St. Caesarius, who lived in the fifth century,
writes as follows: "As soon as a person falls dangerously
sick, he receives the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Then his body is anointed, and thus is fulfilled what
stands written: 'Is any man sick among you, let him call
in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil,' " etc.
On the other hand, this Sacrament was denied to ex-
communicated persons, as we learn from a decision pro-
nounced by Innocent I., about the year 410. He says:
HISTORY OF MATRIMONY.
95
*' Without doubt the words of St. James refer to the sick
faithful who are anointed with the holy Chrism blessed by
the bishop, and which, in time of need, is useful not only
to the priests, but to all who believe in Christ. But to-
the penitents, who have not been reconciled to the Church,,
this anointing must not be administered. For it belongs to
the class of Sacraments, and why should those who have
refused and denied the Sacraments dare to receive them?"
From the writings of another Pope, St. Gregory the
Great, wo have a detailed description of the pious ceremo-
nies then followed in the administration of Extreme Unc-
tion, and of the prayers read at the blessing of the sacra-
mental oil for the sick.
27. The History of Matrimony.
"This is a great sacrament ; but I speak in Christ and in the
church." — Ephesians v. 33.
As our divine High-Priest had come upon earth to ele-
vate and purify every condition of man, it behooved him
of course to ennoble and sanctify marriage, which is the
foundation-stone of human society. For, alas! how de-
graded this sacred state had become among the heathens
of antiquity, and even among the Jews themselves! Christ
therefore restored matrimony to its original dignity; ren-
dering it indissoluble, forbidding polygamy, rescuing the
wife from slavery and making her the equal companion of
. her husband, and inculcating upon married people purity
of morals and mutual love and respect for each other.
Moreover, he raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacra-
ment, comparing the married state to that intimate union
of charity which binds himself to his Church; and to
the outward or visible signs of a nuptial contract he added
all those preternatural graces which are necessary to enable
the married couple to live devoutly and happily together.
1^
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
St. Paul says: '' Being subject one to another in the fear
of Christ. Let women be subject to their husbands, as to
the Lord. Because the husband is the head of the wife,
as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the saviour
of his body. Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ,
so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the
Church, and delivered himself up for it, that he might
sanctify it, cleansing it by the Liver of water in the word
of life. That he might present it to himself a glorious
Cliurch, iiofc having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish. So also
ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He
that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever
hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as
also Christ doth the Church, because we are members of
his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave
to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh. This is a
great sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the Church.
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular love his
wife as himself, and let the wife fear her husband."
Hence, as we learn from the testimony of St. Ignatius,
himself a disciple of the Apostles, marriage in the very
first years of Christianity was solemnized in the presence
of bishops; while Tertullian praises this married state,
''because it is ratified by the Church, fortified by the
sacrifice of the mass, and sealed with Heaven's blessing."
When, afterwards, during the middle ages, clandestine
marriages, privately entered into without the presence of
the priest or the blessing of the Church, began to multiply
and to seek recognition and sanction, the Church-councils
strenuously opposed and condemned them as an undig-
nified and dangerous abuse. The Council of Trent de-
clared positively and plainly that the Church could
recognize as valid and licit among Catholics only such
HISTORY OF MATRIMONY.
97
marriages as were performed before the parish-priest of
the parties and in presence of two or three other witnesses.
Marriages between Catholics on the one side and pagans,
Jews, or heretics on the other were strictly forbidden in
early Christian times. The significant words used by Ter-
tullian in his admonitory efforts to dissuade a Christian
young woman from marrying a pagan strike severely at
the so-called mixed marriages of our own time: " If a day
occur on which the people assemble for prayer, the man
will pass the day at the baths; if a fast is to be observed,
he will hold a banquet; and never will he find so many
occupations for you at home as when you ought to go out
to church or on errands of Christian charity. Where will
your faith find nourishment? whence will you draw
renewal of soul and the divine blessing?" In like manner
St. Ambrose asks: ''How can that be called a married
union where the parties are not united by one belief?"
And again: "How can a bond of love unite those whom
their belief drives apart?"
Towards the close of the last century the so-called
civic marriage took its rise in France. Matrimony was
declared by the infidels to be a mere bargain, like any
other business contract. This disastrous heresy under-
mined the well-being of the family, and sapped the foun-
dations of the state. It is very significant that in 1792,
the same year in which was passed the law concerning
civic marriages, the terrible French Revolution took its
rise, which brought France to the verge of destruction.
The Church solemnly condemned this law, which robs the
Sacrament of Matrimony and the holy state of wedlock of
its moral character and religious dignity.
«'
CIULIST IN HIS CHURCH.
28. The History of Holy Orders.
" Every high-priest Is faken from among men. Neither doth any
man take the honor to himself, ImM that is called as Aaron was."
— Ephesians v.
Holy Scripture describes plainly the institution of the
Priesthood of the new dispensation. By solemnly impart-
ing the power to offer sacrifice and to dispense the
holy Sacraments, Christ himself ordained this calling, and
appointed the Apostles to be the first members. The
Apostles in their turn, by the Sacrament of Ordination
that is, by the laying on of hands— imparted the same
power and authority to deserving candidates, and made
them bishops; as for instance when St. Paul laid hands
on and consecrated Titus, Timothy, and others. Of the
different relations existing between priests and laity,
mention is made by a disciple of the Apostles, St. Clement
of Rome, who says: *'To the high-priest certain impor-
tant charges are assigned, to the priests their position is
designated, to the levites their own special duties are
marked out, while the laity are bound to each other and
to their clergy."
Sts. Ignatius and Polycarp, both disciples of the
Apostles, term the bishop **the Head of the congregation
in spiritual things." Thus it appears that bishops, even
in the earliest times, governed and presided over distinct
congregations or churches, and were assisted by priests
and deacons. In the course of time, as the spiritual wants
of the people were augmented and multiplied, the ecclesi-
astical offices grew in proportion, and in the year 250 we
hear the holy Pope Cornelius speaking of the "^subdeacons
appointed to assist the deacons in their many duties. He
also mentions lectors who were to care for the holy books
and to read from them at divine service; acolytes, as
attendants on the bishops; exorcists,, who had the care of
HISTORY OF SUNDAY.
99
possessed persons ; porters, who did duty at the church-
doors, allowing none to enter but those who were entitled
to the privilege. The solemn introduction to these several
offices, from that of porter up to the dignity of priesthood,
constituted, as it does to-day, the Sacrament of Ordination.
Ever and always the bishop was sole minister of this
Sacrament. Originally conferred by prayer and simple
imposition of hands, ordination was afterwards solemnized
by the formal delivery to the candidate of all the insignia
of his office, and in giving priesthood by anointing his
hands with holy oil. Hence St. Augustine admonishes
priests: "You must be ever mindful of your dignity, and
of what took place at your ordination, when your hands
were consecrated by holy anointing in order to teach you
that you should not desecrate hands so sacredly blessed."
In accordance with a very ancient ecclesiastical ordinance,
the dignity of priesthood is usually conferred on the
Saturdays of Trinity- and Ember-week before Christmas.
Hence for this intention the Catholic people fasted on
these days; as was done of old in Antioch, when the
Christians prayed and fasted at the time that the two new
apostles, Barnabas and Paul, were ordained to their sub-
lime office by the other apostles.
29. The History of Sunday.
'* Why doth one day excel another, when all come from the sun?
By the knowledge of the Lord, they were distinguished. He ordered
the seasons, and holidays of them, and in them they celebrated
festivals at an hour. Some of them God made great and high days,
and some of them he put in the number of ordinary days."—
EccLESiASTicus xxxili.
After having spoken of sacred places and of holy rites
and ceremonies in the divine service, let the holy seasons
and festivals next engage our attention^
That ancient and divine law of the Jewish dispensation
\
100
CHKIST m HIS CHURCH.
Which required that one out of every seven days should be
allotted to rest and prayer, and more especially dedicated
to the worship of the Most High God, is still of binding
force upon all nations, and for all times, past, present!
and future. Hence the Apostles, by virtue of the
unlimited authority and power which they had received
from Jesus Christ, transferred the solemn sanctification of
this day from Saturday, which was the Sabbath-day of the
Jews, to the first day of the week, or Sunday. We read in
the Acts ©I Ihe Apostles, 20tli chapter, 7th verse-
"And on the first day of the week, when we were
assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed with them
being to depart on the morrow, and he continued his
speech until midnight." Again, St. Paul, alhiding to the
offerings made by the first Christians for the support of
their pastors, writes in his first Epistle to the Corinthians:
" On the first day of the week let every one of you put
apart with himself, laying up what it shall well please him;
that when I come, the collections be not then to be made"'
(1 Corinthians xvi. 2).
St. Justin, as early as the year 150, thus explains the
meaning of the religious observance of Sunday: '' We as-
semble together for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice on
Sunday, first because it is the day on which the eternal
Father created the world and displaced the darkness for the
light, and secondly because it is the day on which Jesus
Christ rose from the dead. " We may add the fact that on
this first day of the week the Holy Spirit was imparted at
Jerusalem to the Apostles, thus completing the foundation-
work of the Church. So that, in truth, this day is the day
of the Lord; the day of the thrice-blessed, tri-personal,
tnune God, of the ever-adorable Trinity, of Father'
Son, and Holy Ghost. It is the day of the eternal Father'
who on the first day of creation-week called heaven and
earth out of nothing into existence, and summoned the
light forth from the darkness of chaos. It is the day of
HISTORY OF OUR LORD'S FESTIVALS. lOl
God the Son, who on this day sealed and stamped beyond
recall, by his glorious resurrection, the great work of
man's redemption. It is the day of the Holy Ghost, who
revealed himself on this day to Christianity, and bestowed
himself upon the Church. It is becoming to call it Sun-
day. For on this day, in favor of every pious congrega-
tion in God's house assembled, the Sun of truth shines in
the Sermon, the Sun of divine charity burns in the Holy
Mass, the Sun of divine grace warms and vivifies in the
holy Sacraments. Thus the faithful observers of Sunday
are enlightened, enlivened, and strengthened by the rays
of this spiritual Sun, that they may be enabled to encoun-
ter the duties of the following week with courage and
cheerfulness. How beautiful and appropriate in Chris-
tianity the meaning and the reality that resulted from the
ignorant and thoughtless proceeding of the heathen
Greeks when they dedicated the first day of the week to
the sun !
30. The History of the Festivals of Our Lord.
•' Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to the Lord thy God in
the place, which the Lord shall choose : and the Lord thy God will
bless thee."— Deuteronomy xvi. 15.
Besides the Sunday, the early Christians observed reli-
giously certain other days. These were days commemo-
rative of events in the life of our Lord, in the life of the
Blessed Virgin, and in the lives of the Saints.
The seven most important festivals of our Lord are his
Nativity, or Christmas-day ; his Circumcision ; his Mani-
festation to the Gentiles, or Epiphany ; his Resurrection,
or Easter-day ; his Ascension into heaven ; the Descent
of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost or Whitsunday, and the
feast of his Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Altar,
or Corpus Christi. Christmas was celebrated certainly as
early as the year 140, although at that time it was kept
102
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
on the sixth of January, together with the festival of the
three kings. Afterwards, about the year 340, the holy
Pojie Julius I. ordered a thorough research to be made
among the records of the Roman emi)ire, in order to
ascertain the exact date of our Lord's birth ; and since
that time the festival has been lield upon the 25th of
December, and made uniform throughout the whole
Church. From that time, too, the festival of Christ-
mas, which was always celebrated with much pomp in
the Church, and with sentiments of joy and gratitude
by all Christians, was preceded by a season of four weeks
devoted to prayer, fasting, and meditation as a prepara-
tion for the great event of the Incarnation. This season
was called Advent. The festival of the Circumcision falls
on the first day of the new year. Although we are not
certain of the exact time when its observance began, we
are sure that it was kept in the first centuries of Chris-
tianity. For in the year 567 the Council of Tours
declared as follows: **With the view of eradicating
pagan customs, our forefathers long since directed that
on the 1st of January specified litanies should be recited
and certain psalms be sung in the church, and that the
mass of the Circumcision should be solemnly celebrated
to the honor of our merciful Lord."
Another festival of our Lord, the Epiphany, occurring
twelve days after Christmas, and sometimes called the
Feast of the Kings, dates back to primitive Christian
ages, and was even then of such importance that even
the Emperor Julian the Apostate, during his sojourn in
Gaul in 361, did not dare to absent himself from public
worship on this festival. About the year 900, no manual
labor could be performed during the octave of this feast,
and three centuries later we find an ordinance requiring
the faithful to hear at least one mass on each day of the
octave. The Easter festival, together with the fast of
forty days called Lent, took its rise in apostolic times,
HISTORY OF OUR LORD'S FESTIVALS.
103
and the church-fathers of very eariy Christianity call it
the "king of all days "and the '* feast of feasts," out-
shining all other festive days in supernatural splendor.
In similar words, St. Augustine traces the observance
of the ascension of Christ back to an apostolic ordinance,
or certainly to one of the very earliest Councils of the
Church. St. Chrysostom, in a sermon which he preached
on Ascension-day, exclaims enthusiastically : ** Our human
nature, which at one time seemed unworthy to dwell even
upon the earth, is to-day carried up, in Christ, to heaven,
where it is ranked far above the cherubim." The feast
of Pentecost, or Whitsunday, is mentioned, in what are
called **The Apostolical Constitutions," as a festival
which was then of time-honored memory. About the
year 200, Tertullian testifies that it was "a principal fes-
tival." We have to-day several sermons preached in the
fourth century on this remarkable festival, in all of which
the fathers speak of it as having existed from earliest
times.
One of the grandest festivals of the Church is that
which she celebrates ten days after Pentecost, and which
is called Corpus Christi. In this, more than any other
feast of the whole year, is the actual Life of Christ as
prolonged in his Church, and as manifested in a mystical
manner to the eyes of faith, shown forth with practical
and convincing effect. It is the feast of the life of Christ,
the Church's public acknowledgment and solemn confes-
sion of his real, actual, living presence within the '' Mys-
tical Body." It is the feast of the Blessed Sacrament ; a
feast which in a certain sense contains and expresses the
meaning of all other feasts. It preaches to the world the
belief that He who was once born in a stable, who shed
his first blood in the circumcision, who manifested him-
self to the three wise men from the east on Epiphany,
who after an excruciating passion and disgraceful death
ascended to heaven, whence he sent the Holy Ghost— that
104
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
He jet lives in the Church a mystic life. Corpus Christi
is the feast ol tkm UU of Christ. For our Lord and
Saviour lives really and truly in the adorable Sacrament
of the Blessed Eucharist on our altars. Many miracles,
but especially a remarkable vision from heaven, seen by
St. Juliana in Luttich, gave rise to this festival. The
chief reason which induced Pope Urban the Fourth, in
the year 1264, to proclaim the universal religious obser-
vance of this festival of Corpus Christi, was the firm and
pious belief of the faithful in the mystery of the real pres-
ence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, where he
treasures up for our use and benefit all the fruits of his
life and death. Thus sings the royal Psalmist when, by
anticipation, he meditates on the Blessed Sacrament:
'*I will praise thee, 0 Lord, with my whole heart, in
the counsel of the just and in the congregation. Great
are the works of the Lord, sought out according to all his
wills. His work is praise and magnificence, and his
justice continueth for ever and ever. He hath made
a remembrance of liis wonderful works, being a merci-
ful and gracious Lord. He liath given food to them
that fear him. M» will be mindful for ever of his cove-
nant."
How admirable the beauty and power of the Catholic
ritual! How gloriously, and with what pregnancy of
meaning, her public worship has unfolded itself into its
present solemn and majestic proportions! Our early fore-
fathers in the faith, poor and persecuted, solemnized the
Holy Mysteries in the secret gloom of subterranean cav-
erns, and were solicitous to conceal from the scoffing and
desecrating gaze of the unbelieving world the presence of
the world's Redeemer in the Blessed Sacrament. To-day
in Catholic lands He goes forth, as on Palm Sunday in
the olden time, and is carried in triumph, surrounded by
fervent and adoring hearts. He passes through the wood-
land, and by the field, and in the city street, blessing all
HISTORY OF OUR LORD'S FESTIVALS. 105
with his divine presence, as he goes by in the procession of
Corpus Christi.
This lovely feast-day, with its grand procession, pos-
sesses an irresistible charm. One of the most inveterate
infidels of modern times was compelled to acknowledge
the powerful influence wrought by the Catholic observance
The Procession on Corpus Christi.
of Corpus Clu-isti on his own unhappy mind. He writes :
"Never have I looked upon the long line of white-robed
priests, nor seen the files of surpliced acolytes, nor watched
the reverent crowds preceding and following the consecra-
ted host, without being deeply moved. I have never been
able to listen to the solemn chanting, by the choristers,
of the grand old Latin psalms and hymns, without feelmg
104
CHRIST IN HIS CniTRCH.
yet lives in the Cliureh a mystic life. Corpus Christi
is the feast of the Life of Christ. For our Lord and
Saviour lives really and truly in the adorable Sacrament
of the Blessed Eucharist on our altars. Many miracles,
but especially a remarkable vision from heaven, seen by
St Juliana in Luttich, gave rise to this festival. The
cMef reason which induced Pojie Urban the Fourth, in
tli# year 1264, to proclaim the universal religious obser-
Tance of this festival of Corj)us Christi, was the lirm and
pious belief of the faithful in the mystery of the real pres-
ence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, where he
treasures up for our use and benefit all the fruits of his
life and dcjith. Thus sings the royal Psalmist when, by
anticipation, he meditates on the Blessed Sacrament:
"I will praise thee, 0 Lord, with my whole heart, in
the counsel of the just and in the congregation. Great
are the works of the Lord, sought out according to all his
wjIIs. His work is praise and magnificence, and his
justice continueth for ever and ever. He hath made
a remembrance of his wonderful works, being a merci-
lill and gracious Lord. He hath given food to them
that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his cove-
nant."
How admirable the beauty and power of the Catholic
ritual ! How gloriously, and with what pregnancy of
meaning, her public worship has unfolded itself into its
present solemn and majestic pro])ortions! Our early fore-
fathers in the faith, poor and persecuted, solemnized the
Holy Mysteries in the secret gloom of subterranean cav-
erns, and were solicitous to conceal from the scoffing and
desecrating gaze of the unbelieving world the presence of
the world's Redeemer in the Blessed Sacrament. To-day
in Catholic lands He goes forth, as on Palm Sunday in
the olden time, and is carried in triumph, surrounded by
fervent and adoring hearts. He passes through the wood-
land, and by the field, and in the city street, blessing aQ
I
HISTORY OF OUR LORD'S FESTIVALS. 105
with his divine presence, as he goes by in the procession of
Corpus Christi.
This lovely feast-day, with its grand procession, pos-
sesses an irresistible charm. One of the most inveterate
infidels of modern times was compelled to acknowledge
the powerful influence wrought by the Catholic observance
The Pi'ocession on Corpus Christi.
of Corpus Clu-isti on his own unhappy mind. He writes :
'^ Never have I looked upon the long line of white-robed
priests, nor seen the files of surpliced acolytes, nor watched
the reverent crowds preceding and following the consecra-
ted host, without being deeply moved. I have never been
able to listen to the solemn chanting, by the choristers,
of the gi-and old Latin psalms and hymns, without feeling
106
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
my heart throb violently. Tears would rise to my eyes,
and my whole being would become absorbed in the con-
templation of this public profession of faith coming from
my fellow-beings with better hearts, if not better heads,
than mine. The whole ceremony contains within itself
something indescribably tender, expressive, and suggestive
of the loveliest sentiments of the human heart. "
31. The Festivals of the Blessed Virgin.
"Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."
— Luke i. 48.
Around the sublime festivals of the Lord as a centre,
like the moon and stars about the sun, revolve the
festivals of the Blessed Virgin and of all the saints. The
Catholic ecclesiastical year, with its various and varied
succession of feasts and fasts, its seasons of joy and sea-
sons of penance, resembles the firmament, where the stars
from their shining field of azure blue shine forth in count-
less rays, delighting the eye of man with their utility and
beauty. In the first place, in relation to these festivals of
the Blessed Virgin, it is evident to all, at a glance, that
Christ lives yet in his Church, as the Son of Mary. As in
the land of Judea, during his bodily life, Jesus was sub-
ject to his Virgin Mother in holy obedience and respect-
ful love, so too should the Church of Christ continue to
offer unceasingly to the Mother of her Divine Founder, a
fond and willing tribute of love, admiration, and respect.
The fact that the Catholic Church has at all time faith-
fully and enthusiastically discharged this pleasant duty ;
that the angel's greeting has re-echoed within her temples
for centuries ; that not only her simple laity, but also her
most learned men, both of the laity and clergy, have
rivalled each other in honoring Mary, Jind thereby ful-
filled her own inspired prophecy, ** Behold, from hence-
AVE MARIA !
i07
106
CHRIST IN HIS CHUKCH.
my heart throb violently. Tears would rise to my eyes,
and my whole being would become absorbed in the con-
templation of this public profession of faith coming from
my fellow-beings with better hearts, if not better heads,
than mine. The whole ceremony contains within itself
something indescribably tender, expressive, and suggestive
of the loveliest sentiments of the human heart."
31. The Festivals of the Blessed Virgin.
"Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."
—Luke i. 48.
Around the sublime festivals of the Lord as a centre,
like the moon and stars about the sun, revolve the
festivals of the Blessed Virgin and of all the saints. The
Catholic ecclesiastical year, with its various and varied
succession of feasts and fasts, its seasons of joy and sea-
sons of penance, resembles the firmament, where the stars
from their shining field of azure blue shine forth in count-
less rays, delighting the eye of man with their utility and
beauty. In the first place, in relation to these festivals of
the Blessed Virgin, it is evident to all, at a glance, that
Christ lives yet in his Church, as the Son of Mary. As in
the land of Judea, during his bodily life, Jesus was sub-
ject to bis Virgin Mother in holy obedience and respect-
ful love, so too should the Church of Christ continue to
offer unceasingly to the Mother of her Divine Founder, a
fond and willing tribute of love, admiration, and respect.
The ftjct that the Catholic Church has at all time faith-
fully and enthusiastically discharged this pleasant duty ;
tliat the angel's greeting has re-echoed within her temples
for centuries ; that not only her simple laity, but also her
most learned men, both of the laity and clergy, have
rivalled each other in honoring Mary, and thereby ful-
filled her own inspired prophecy, ''Behold, from lience-
I
AVE MARIA '
1.07
108
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
FESTIVALS OF THE SAINTS.
109
I' !
I
forth all generations shall call me blessed " — all this con-
stitutes one of the most striking proofs of the truth of
the Catholic Church itself.
Of the very many festival-days instituted by the
Church in honor of the ever-blessed Mother of God,
we can mention in this place only five.
The festival of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin was observed in many places as early as
ilie fifth century, and gradu-illy the whole Church began
Procession on a Feast of the Blessed Virgin.
to adopt it. It has been kept with greater splendor,
however, by the whole Church since the memorable 8th
of December, 1854, when Pius the Ninth, in the midst
of two hundred bishops from every part of the Catholic
world, raised the time-honored and pious belief of all
Catholics to the dignity of a defined article of faith.
Of equal antiquity with the feast of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin is the festival of her
Nativity on the 8th of Decen^ber, Both toojc their rise
in the Eastern Church, whence they found their way to
us with the spread of Christianity towards the West.
Older than either of these two festivals, having the ori-
gin of its observance probably away back in apostolic
days, is the feast of the Annunciation of our Blessed
Lady. On this feast we commemorate the precious
moment when the Blessed Virgin received Heaven's mes-
sage from the lips of the archangel Gabriel, and the Son
of God took his human nature in her chaste womb.
The feast of the Purification, or Candlemas-day, had
its origin in the Eastern Church, and was introduced into
the West by Pope Gelasius in 494. The sad and affecting
allusion of the venerable prophet Simeon to " the Light
of the world," which occurs in the gospel of this feast,
gave occasion to the same pope to institute the procession
in which lighted tapers are held in the hands of the faith-
ful. Gelasius introduced the observance of this proces-
sion with candles, in order to substitute a religious rite
for the superstitious practice then followed by the heath-
ens of carrying burning torches during the month of
February. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin was
kept as a religious festival in the very dawn of Christian-
ity. It was known and observed in France and Germany
certainly about the year 550, and, as now, was a favorite
festal day with clergy and laity. In England and Ireland
it was strictly kept, and the devotional rejoicings were
continued with much piety during eight days.
32. The Festivals of the Saints.
" Let us now praise men of renown. The Lord hath wrought
great glory ' in them *, through his magnificence from the beginning.
Let the people show forth their wisdom, and the Church declare
their praise."— Ecclesiasticus xliv.
The festivals that have been established in honor of the
Saints who lived in Christ, and in whom he livedo exceed
108
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
forth all generations shall call me blessed " — all this con-
stitutes one of the most striking proofs of the truth of
the Catholic Church itself.
Of the very many festival-days instituted by the
Church in honor of the ever-blessed Mother of God,
we can mention in this place only five.
ThB festival of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin was observed in many places as early as
the fifth century, and gniduilly the wliole Church began
Procession on a Feast of the Blessed Virgin.
to adopt It. II has been kept with greater splendor,
however, by the whole Church since the memorable 8th
of December, 1854, when Pius the Ninth, in the midst
of two hundred bishops from every part of the Catholic
world, raised the time-honored and pious belief of all
Catholics to the dignity of a defined article of faith.
Of equal antiquity with the feast of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin is the festival of her
Nativity on the 8th of Deceniber. Both took their rise
FESTIVALS OF THE SAINTS.
109
in the Eastern Church, whence they found their way to
us with the spread of Christianity towards the West.
Older than either of these two festivals, having the ori-
gin of its observance probably away back in apostolic
days, is the feast of the Annunciation of our Blessed
Lady. On this feast we commemorate the precious
moment when the Blessed Virgin received Heaven's mes-
sage from the lips of the archangel Gabriel, and the Son
of God took his human nature in her chaste Avomb.
The feast of the Purification, or Candlemas-day, had
its origin in the Eastern Church, and was introduced into
the West by Pope Gelasius in 494. The sad and affecting
allusion of the venerable prophet Simeon to " the Light
of the world," which occurs in the gospel of this feast,
gave occasion to the same pope to institute the procession
in which lighted tapers are held in the hands of the faith-
ful. Gelasius introduced the observance of this proces-
sion with candles, in order to substitute a religious rite
for the superstitious practice then followed by the lieath-
ens of carrying burning torches during the month of
February. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin was
kept as a religious festival in the very dawn of Christian-
ity. It was known and observed in France and Germany
certainly about the year 550, and, as now, was a favorite
festal day with clergy and laity. In England and Ireland
it was strictly kept, and the devotional rejoicings were
continued with much piety during eight days.
32. The Festivals of the Saints.
" Let us now praise men of renown. The Lord hath wrought
great glory ' in them ', through his magnificence from the beginning.
Let the people show forth their wisdom, and the Church declare
their praise." — Ecclesiasticus xliv.
The festivals that have been established in honor of the
Saints who lived in Christ, and in w^hom he livedo, exceed
\
110
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
FESTIVALS OF THE SAINTS.
Ill
in number the days of the year. There is not a day which
is not a Saint's day. At one time the feasts of the Apos-
tles and of some other Saints were holidays of obligation,
but in the present discipline of the Church only a few are
kept as such, and in some countries none. Priests, how-
ever, are under the obligation of rendering to the Saints,
in the name of all the faithful, the veneration to which
they are entitled. This is done by reading the offices
peculiar to the Saints as designated in the breviary, and in
the celebration of the masses set apart in the missal to be
offered to God under the invocation of these Saints.
Although the Saints' days are no longer observed by the
cessation of work, pious Catholics find time to honor the
heroes of the Church by reading their lives, by meditating
on their virtues, and by begging their intercession. They
seek by good resolutions and fervent prayer to learn to
imitate their ardor in the cause of Christ. The oldest
Saints' days are the festivals instituted in honor of the first
Christian martyrs. The primitive Christians used to
assemble in the catacombs on the anniversaries of the
martyrdom of their departed brethren in the faith, and there
offer up sacrifice and prayer and praise, as the Acts of the
disciples of the Apostles testify, such as those of St. Igna-
tius and St Polycarp.
In the course of time similar honors were paid to other
Saints who had been distinguished for purity of life and
honored with the gift of miracles. At first only their
own immediate neighbors knew their merits and honored
them, but soon their virtues became known to all Christen-
dom, and their anniversary days grew to be universally
recognized and honored. The principal Saints' days,
which even yet are in many places festivals of obligation,
are St. Stephen's, St. Joseph's, St. John the Baptist's, Sts.
Peter and Paul's, the special patron day of each country or
parish, and, the chief and most favorite of all, the Feast
of All Saints. This last festival was observed in very
early times by the Catholics of the Eastern Church. It
was placed in the Latin calendar of festivals about the
year 610, during the pontificate of Pope Boniface the
Fourth. There is still standing in the city of Rome an
ancient and spacious pagan temple, built under the
heathen emperors, and called the Pantheon, because it
was the temple where all the gods of the various nations
conquered by the Eomans were worshipped. The emperor
Phocas bestowed this building on Pope Boniface, who
purified it from the last remaining traces of pagan super-
stition. He then had the bodies of several holy martyrs
and confessors conveyed from the catacombs with great
reverence and solemnly deposited in the purified church,
which was then dedicated on the 13th of May as a Chris-
tian temple under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin and
all the Saints. In the year 731 Pope Gregory the Third
placed the commemoration of these and of all other Samts
of God on the first day of November. It has ever been in
the Church a glorious festival and full of deep significance;
for it proclaims on its annual recurrence the triumph of
the Kedeemer over heathen mythology. The Saints of
God have driven the false deities from the hearts and
homes of men. Only God is one, single and indivisible.
Yet in heaven there are beings nigh unto God, who are
inebriated with divine happiness. These are the souls of
those redeemed men and women who, in the battle of life
here below, have persevered to the end, till they have con-
quered even death itself. The heavenly choirs of angels
have received them with transports of delight, led them to
celestial joys before the throne of the thrice-holy God,
where, like the angels themselves, they will raise their
voices forever in hymns of praise and exultation.
Such are the ripe, luxuriant fruits from the Vineyard
of tlie Lord. Not untimely, then, is the commemoration
just at the close of the harvest season. On this festival
the faithful Chi-istian, in joyful longing, raises the eyes of
112
CHRIST II^^ HIS CHURCH.
FESTIVALS OF THE SAINTS.
113
his soul to the spacious realms of heaven and contemplates
the Saints in their happiness and rest. He remembers
that he is closely related to the glorified elect of heaven;
that he is flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone.
The}^ like him, are also members of the one great Church
of God which reaches from the recesses of purgatory to the
regions of the earth, and extends aloft to the highest
vaults of heaven. And if, on this festival day, he devoutly
repeat that glorious prayer of the Church, the Litany of
the Saints, his own comforting faith will whisper to his
soul the consoling truth that the Saints in heaven above
hear his cry for help, and by virtue of that charity which
lives even beyond the grave, will remember him before the
throne of God.
This feast is most appropriately followed by All Souls'
Day. For the Church militant on earth lives in close and
sacred communion with those souls, the souls of those who
are asleep in the Lord, and who are atoning for their
shortcomings in the fires of purgatory. When we in our
necessities look aloft to our brethren in heaven, in search
of relief, let us not forget to cast a glance of compassion
downwards towards our suffering brethren in purgatory.
Let us endeavor, by holy masses, by alms-giving, and by
frequent prayer, to shorten the time of their puigation;
that thus the comforting angel may the sooner come to
their relief, and announce to them the glad tidings that
divine justice has been satisfied in their regard, and that
their hour of release has come. The observances of '* All
Souls' Day," including the visiting and decoration of the
cemeteries, can be traced back with certainty to the year
1000. It shows forth, under the most sacred circum-
stances, that great article of Catholic faith, namely, that
the Redeemer of the world still lives upon earth as ver-
itable High-priest, performing the divine functions of the
Church, renewing his adorable sacrifice, and thus redeem-
ing those whom he once before, as High-priest of the
i
cross, called to himself, selected, and purchased. To this
High-priest, who is truly and efficaciously present in the
Sacrament of the Altar, be honor, praise, glory, and adora-
tion, both from the choirs of happy angels in heaven and
from all the faitlif ul on earth, now and forever.
'
!l
CHAPTER IV.
THE HISTORY OF THE TEACHING-
OFFICE IN THE CHURCH.
JESUS CHRIST LIVING IN HIS CHURCH AS THE TEACHER
OF TRUTH AND WISDOM.
33. The Church Fathers.
"He gave some Apostles, and other some pastors and doctors,
for the edifying of the Body of Christ : until we all meet into the
unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God."— Epiiesians
iv. 11-13.
DUKING the space of tlirce years our Saviour preached
heavenly truth in the cities, towns, and hamlets of
Judea. Although the public heard his voice, yet the Apos-
tles and disciples were the most favored witnesses of the
truth and sanctity of his teachings. Much of what he
taught was afterwards written by the evangelists and
Apostles, and carefully preserved in the Church as Holy
Scripture. Much, too, was handed down from genera-
tion to generation by mere word of mouth, and was grad-
ually in the course of time committed to writing by the
Fathers of the Church. The whole saving truth which
lay enshrined in his breast our divine Teacher gave to the
Church when he promised to be with her during all time,
and through the instrumentality of his duly appointed
teachers, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to guide
her in all truth forever. This promise is the sni)crnatural
THE CHURCH FATHERS.
115
equipment of the holy Church for her duties and office as
teacher to all nations. It is the soil which has produced
those giant trees whose shade and fruits have afforded life
to Christian nations for centuries; namely, the Fathers of
the Church. It is the miraculous power which has pre-
seryed the general Councils, as well as the successors of
Christ, our Divine Teacher.
St. Peter, the Popes, from all error in defining matters of
faith. . , ^, .
If we go back in spirit to the first centuries of Chris-
tianity, our view rests upon a host of venerable men, who
not only by their oral teachings, but also by means of
their pious and learned writings, so edified and strength-
ened the infant Church that they have ever since been
styled the Fathers of the Church.*
* In the schools a distinction is made between the Fathers and
teachers of the Church and the mere writers who were not saints
and into whose writings errors sometimes crept. The people at
THE CHUKCH FATHERS.
115
CHAPTER IV.
THE HISTORY OF THE TEACHING-
OFFICE IN THE CHURCH.
JESUS CHRIST LIVIJfG IN HIS CHURCH AS THE TEACHER
OF TRUTH AND WISDOM.
33. The Church Fathers.
" He gave some Apostles, aud other some pastors and doctors,
for the edifying of tlie Body of Christ : until we all meet into the
unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God."— EniEsiANS
|URING the space of three years our Saviour preached
heavenly truth in the cities, towns, and hamlets of
Judea. Although tlie public heard his voice, yet the Apos-
tles and disciples were the most favored witnesses of the
truth and sanctity of his teachings. Much of what he
taught was afterwards written by the evangelists and
Apostles, and carefully preserved in the Church as Holy
Scripture. Much, too, was handed down from genera-
tion to generation by mere word of mouth, and was grad-
ually in the course of time committed to writing by the
Fathers of the Church. The whole saving truth which
lay enshrined in his breast our divine Teacher gave to the
Church when he promised to be with her during all time,
and through the instrumentality of his duly appointed
teachers, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to guide
her in all truth forever. This promise is the suiiernatural
i
equipment of the holy Church for her duties and office as
teacher to all nations. It is the soil which has produced
those giant trees whose shade and fruits have afforded life
to Christian nations for centuries; namely, the Fathers of
the Church. It is the miraculous power which has pre-
served the general Councils, as well as the successors of
Christ, our Divine Teacher.
St. Peter, the Popes, from all error in defining matters of
faith. . , ^1 .
If we go back in spirit to the first centuries of Chris-
tianitv, om- view rests upon a host of venerable men, who
not only by their oral teachings, but also by means of
their pious and learned writings, so edified and strength-
ened the infant Cliurch that they have ever since been
styled the Fathers of the Church.*
* In the schools a distinction is made between the Fathers and
teachers of the Church and the mere writers avIio were not saints,
and into whose writings errors sometimes crept. The people at
116
OHEIST IX HIS ciriTKcir.
THE CATHOLIC FATHERS.
117
i
They are the illustrious and eminently credible wit-
nesses of ancient Christian tradition. And the Catholic
mind is inexpressibly comforted and cailmed when it sees
that these Church-fathers more than fifteen hundred
years ago maintained, taught, and defended in their writ-
ings the self-same truths which we hold to-diiy. The fol-
lowing are a few of these most deserving men :
St. Clement of Rome, martyred about the year 100,
St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch.
was the friend and helper of St. Paul, and the third suc-
cessor of St. Peter in the pontifical chair.
St. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch and a disciple of
St. John the Evangelist. According to an old legend ho
was the child whom our Lord preferred to the disciples,
Avhen they Avere disputing about their respective titles to
large, however, include even such men as Clement of Alexandria,
Oriixeu, and Tertulliiin, on account of their services to Christianity,
though tlioy made some mistakes.
precedence. He was thrown a prey to the wild beasts in
Rome, in the year 107.
St. Polycarp, who was bishop of Smyrna, and likewise
a disciple of St. John, was condemned in the year J 60,
when eighty-six years of age, to be burned to death, but
not being hurt by the flames, was pierced by a dagger, and
so put to death.
St. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, was a friend of St.
Polycarp, and probably a disciple of St. John. He trav-
elled about, visiting the various Christian congregations
and the immediate disciples of the Apostles, taking much
pains to collect all the oral traditions concerning the life
and teachings of our Saviour, all of which he wrote down
in five books. He died about the year 150.
St. Justin was surnamed the Philosopher, because he
had passed many years in the schools of pagan philosophy,
seeking in vain for that truth which he finally discovered
in the Christian Church. He was beheaded at Home in
the year 1G6.
Athenagoras was at first a pagan, and subsequently a
Christian teacher of philosophy at Athens, who, like St.
Justin, wrote an excellent apology for the Christians. He
died in the year 180.
St. Irenaeus, of Asia Minor, disciple of the holy Fathers
Polycarp and Papias, came to Gaul about the year 160,
helped to found the Church at Lyons, and became its
second bishop. He sealed his faith with his blood in the
year 202.
Clement of Alexandria was priest and teacher in the
renowned Christian academy at Alexandria, and died in
the year 217.
Tertullian lived at Carthage, in Africa. First a law-
yer and afterwards ordained priest, he was a man of per-
suasive eloquence, great ability, and varied, deep, and solid
knowledge, who with talent and energy defended Christi-
anity against the attacks of pagans, Jews, and heretics.
116
(5HKI8T IK HIS CHUIunr.
They are the illustrious and eminently credible Avit-
nesses of ancient Christian tradition. And the Catholic
mind is inexpressibly comforted and calmed when it sees
that these Church-fathers more than fifteen liundred
years ago maintained, taught, and defended in tlieir writ-
inirs the self-same truths which we hold to-day. Tlie fol-
lowing are a few of these most deserving men :
St. Clement of Eome, martyred about the year 100,
St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch.
was the friend and helper of St. Paul, and ilie third suc-
cessor of St. Peter in tlie pontifical cliair.
St. Ignatius was bisliop of Antioch and a disciple of
Si John the Evangelist. According to an old legend he
WM til© child whom our Lord preferred to the disciples,
whcB'tbey were disputing about their respective titles to
large, however, include even such men as Clement of Alexandria,
Origeu, and Tertullian, on account of their services to Chrislianily,
though they made some mistakes.
THE CATHOLIC FATHERS.
117
precedence. He was thrown a prey to the wild beasts in
Rome, in the year 107.
St. Polycarp, who was bishop of Smyrna, and likewise
a disciple of St. John, was condemned in the year 160,
when eighty-six years of j)ge, to be burned to death, but
not being hurt by the flames, was pierced by a dagger, and
so put to death.
St. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, was a friend of St
Polycarp, and probably a disciple of St. John. He trav-
elled about, visiting the various Christian congregations
and the immediate disciples of the Apostles, taking much
pains to collect all the oral traditions concerning the life
and teachings of our Saviour, all of which he wrote down
in five books. He died about the year 150.
St. Justin was surnamed the Philosopher, because he
had passed many years in the schools of pagan philosophy,
seeking in vain for that truth Avhich he finally discovered
in the Christian Church. He was beheaded at Home in
the year 106.
Athenagoras was at first a pagan, and subsequently a
Christian teacher of philosophy at Athens, wlu), like St.
Justin, wrote an excellent apology for the Christians. He
died in the year 180.
St. Irena?us, of Asia Minor, disciple of the lioly Fathers
Polycarp and Pai)ias, came to Gaul about the year 100,
helped to found the Church at Lyons, and became its
second bishop. He sealed his faith with his blood in the
yejir 202.
Clement of Alexandria was priest and teacher in the
renowned Christian academy at Alexandria, and died in
the year 217.
Tertullian lived at Carthage, in Africa. First a law-
yer and Jifterwards ordained i)riest, he was a man of per-
suasive eloquence, great ability, and varied, deep, and solid
knowledge, Avho with talent and energy defended C'hristi-
anity against the attacks of pagans, Jews, and heretics.
118
CHEIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Unhappily, for want of true humility, this otherwise fault-
less man fell later into the errors of the Montanists. He
died about the year 220.
Origen, called on account of his indefatigable industry
Adamantius, or the man of iron, became in his eighteenth
year the successor of Clement in the professor's chair at
Alexandria, and notwithstanding some errors won for
himself immortal fame for maintaining the purity and
explaining the meaning of the holy Scriptures. His
ardent zeal for Christian truth, his fund of knowledge,
and his afflictions, have made him one of the most remark-
able personages in Church history. He died from the
effects of imprisonment and torture, under the Emperor
Decius, in the year 249.
St. Cyprian was bishop of Carthage. The principal
doctrine that occupied his mind, time, and writings as
bishop, was the Unity of the Church. He writes: "All
the life and blessings of Christianity depend on the union
of all the faithful with their bishops, and the union of all
the bishops with the mother Church of Rome." He was
beheaded in the year 258.
St. Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria, was the chief
opponent of the heresiarch Arius, and after being exiled
five times for the faith, died in the year 373.
St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, like St. Athanasius was
an able and courageous opponent of Arianism, and its
overthrow was in a great measure owing to their prudfince
and enlightened zeal. He died in the year 368.
St. Ephrem the Syrian, a priest of Edessa, distin-
guished for his opposition to the teachers of error, for his
mildness towards the erring, and for his fervid eloquence,
died in the year 378. In his writings are to be found the
most unanswerable testimonies and proofs of antiquity in
defence of those doctrines of the Catholic Church most
commonly denied by Protestants.
St. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, was styled the Cate-
FOUR FATHERS OF THE WESTERN CHURCH. 119
chist, on account of his famous work, the twenty-three
Catechisms, in which he defends the truths of Christian
faith against heretics, and explains them for new converts.
He died in the year 386.
St. Epiphanius, Archbishop of Salamis, who even in his
own lifetime was honored as a saint because of his virtues,
was compiler of the first history of the heresies. He died
in the year 403.
St. Cyi-il, Patriarch of Alexandria, was the principal
adversary of the heretic Nestorius, and died in 444.
Pope St. Leo I., surnamed the Great, the conqueror of
the heresy of Eutyches, equally distinguished by his sagac-
ity and activity as Prince of the Church, and by his know-
ledge and eloquence as teacher in the Church, died in the
year 461.
St. John Damascene, priest at Jerusalem, the last of
the Church fathers in the East, became renowned in the
controversy concerning images, and was likewise simple,
pious, and solidly learned. He died in the year 770.
34. The Four Great Fathers of the Western
Church.
" You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world."
— Matthew v. 13.
Renowned as are the nineteen foregoing Fathers, and
great as have been their services to the Church of God,
they are completely overshadowed by the four grand and
glorious Fathers of the Western Church ; namely, St. Am-
brose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the
Great ; as well as by the four great Fathers of the Eastern
Church, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Gregory
Nazianzen, and St. John Chrysostom.
St. Ambrose, in early manhood a lawyer and imperial
governor, became bishop of Milan in 374, and was a model
V
■illiliiitim
120
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
of apostolic zeal, true piety, and sterling integrity, as well
as a tender and faithful shepherd to his flock. His ser-
mons, especially those on the dignity and beauty of celibacy
and virginity, were very convincing. His pious hymns
are to-day sung in our churches ; his devotional writings
still furnish an inexhaustible supply of edification and
instruction to pious souls. To him, too, is the Church
indebted for her greatest Doctor, St. Augustine, who was
converted by the soul-stirring preaching of St. Ambrose,
St Augustine, Doctor of the Church.
transformed from a sinner to a saint, from a reed bending
before each and every breath of error to a firm pillar of
the Church. In the year 395, Augustine was made bishop
of Hippo in Africa, and became, from that time, by his
numerous and valuable writings, by his apostolic discharge
of duty, and by the sanctity of his life, the Centre, adviser,
and friend of all the Christian writers of his time. He
died in Dalmatia in the year 430, ten years later than his
renowned and venerable friend St. Jerome of Stridon,
FOUR t'ATHERS OF THE EASTERN CHURCH. 121
This latter Father of the Church prepared himself, by
extended travels and a sojourn of several years in the des-
ert, for the glorious duties assigned to him by God. From
all quarters questions came to him for his decision con-
cerning doctrine, ecclesiastical rights and relations, as
well as upon perfection of Christian life. Pope Damasus
entrusted to this learned Father the translation of the holy
Scriptures. His profound explanations of the Bible, his
unanswerable controversial writings against heretics, and
his numerous valuable letters, constitute to-day one of the
choicest treasures of the Church.
The last great Fatlier of tlie Western Church was Pope
St. Gregory the Great. Holy Scripture and the immortal
works of the three last-named Fathers were the school in
which this apostolic man fitted himself to become an instru-
ment of the divine Teacher. Burning with a true shep-
herd's love and anxiety for the welfare and necessities of
the Church universal, as well as of individual localities,
this divinely inspired man occupies a front rank in the his-
tory of the Church for holy learning. And when pious
legend tells us that the Holy Ghost appeared to this Pope
in the form of a dove, giving him thoughts and words for
his voluminous writings, we but hear an expression of the
unbounded admiration with which the ancient world looked
upon this resplendent Father of the Church. He died in
the year 604.
35. The Four Great Fathers of the Eastern
■^=5S5;::^ Church.
"I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth."—
Apocalypse vii. 1.
The first of these four illustrious servants of God was
St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. His
^ame, Basilius, signifies royal ; and truly princely was he
120
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
of apostolic zeal, true piety, and sterling integrity, as well
as a tender and faithful shepherd to his flock. His ser-
mons, especially those on the dignity and beauty of celibacy
and vn-ginity, were very convincing. His pious hymns
are to-day sung in our churches ; his devotional writings
still furnish an inexhaustible sui)ply of edification and
instruction to pious souls. To him, too, is the Church
indebted for her greatest Doctor, St. Augustine, who was
converted by the soul-stirring preaching of St. Ambrose,
St Augustine, Doctor of the Church,
transformed from a sinner to a saint, from a reed bending
before each and every breath of error to a firm pillar of
the Church. In the year 395, Augnstine was made bishop
of Hippo in Africa, and became, from that time, by his
numerous and valuable writings, by his apostolic discharge
of duty, and by the sanctity of his life, the Centre, adviser,
and friend of all the Christian writers of his time. He
died in Dalmatia in the year 430, ten years later than his
renowned and venerable friend St. Jerome of Stridon.
FOUR ^^ATHERS OF THE EASTERN CHURCH. 121
This latter Father of the Church prepared himself, by
extended travels and a sojourn of several years in the des-
ert, for the glorious duties assigned to him by God. From
all quarters (piestions came to him for his decision con-
cerning doctrine, ecclesiastical rights and relations, as
well as upon perfection of Christian life. Pope Damasus
entrusted to this learned Father the translation of the holy
Scriptures. His profound explanations of the Bible, his
unanswerable controversial writings against heretics, and
his numerous valuable letters, constitute to-day one of the
choicest treasures of the Church.
The last great Father of the Western Church was Pope
St. Gregory the Great. Holy Scripture and the immortal
works of the three last-named Fathers were the school in
which this apostolic man fitted liimself to become an instru-
ment of the divine Teacher. Burning with a true shep-
herd's love and anxiety for the welfare and necessities of
the Church universal, as well as of individual localities,
this divinely inspired man occupies a front rank in tlie his-
tory of the Church for holy learning. And when pious
legend tells us that the Holy Ghost appeared to this Pope
in the form of a dove, giving him thoughts and words for
his voluminous writings, we but hear an expression of the
unbounded admiration with which the ancient world looked
upon this resplendent Father of the Church. He died in
the year G04.
35. The Four Great Fathers of the Eastern
^- , Church.
"I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth."—
Apocalypse vii. 1.
The first uf these four illustrious servants of God was
St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Capi)adocia. His
name, Basilius, signifies royal ; and truly princely was he
122
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
in mind and heart, M position and efficiency. He was
moreover a bulwark against the Arians, and at the same
time a hero of Christian charity and a mine of sacred
knowledge. He was distinguished as a theologian and
preacher, also as a director of souls for religious people.
He drew up the first code of rules for a religious life, and
was distinguished as director of Christian ceremonies,
which he reduced to order and carried out with becoming
grace and splendor. He died in the year 379. ^
His younger brother, St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa,
was also a glorious champion of truth against the Arians,
and yet a gentle, peace-loving man, and an able writer,
whose numerous works form one of the most valuable
treasures of the Church. He died in 395.
With these two holy brothers was most intimately
united in esteem and friendship the third of the three
great Cappadocians, St. Gregory Nazianzen. He pre-
pared himself for the service of the Church by attending
the most famous schools of sacred and profane learning in
Palestine, Alexandria, and Athens. The theatre of his
chief triumphs was the city of Constantinople, which
he purged of error with irresistible power and success.
After years of hesitation, he at length accepted the epis-
copate of this city, but left it again in 381 in order to
close hisiong, active, and useful life in holy solitude. He
died in the year 390.
Seven years later we see St. John Chrysostom occupy-
ing the patriarchal chair of Constantinople. He was dis-
tinguished as a preacher, as an expounder of holy Scrip-
ture, as a bishop of untiring activity and charitable meek-
ness, and also of immovable fidelity to faith and priestly
independence.
A hidden life, passed in prayer, mortification, and
study with the monks of the desert, had furnished him with
that great power which he afterwards required in his many
contests with the heretics, and with treacherous brethren,
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH COUNCILS.
123
I
and against the vices of the imperial court. He died in
banishment in the year 407.
Such are the great and glorious men whom the Church
honors as her spiritual Fathers. Yet it is not to be sup-
posed that our divine Founder and Teacher with the
close of the Church's infancy ceased to raise up other
chosen and eminent servants, whom he endowed with sim-
ilar gifts of the Holy Ghost. Each century down to our
9wn time has enjoyed zealous and able teachers of extraor-
dinary power and gifts, raised up in his mercy by the
divine Teacher, Jesus Christ, in order to manifest through
them his living presence in his holy Church. But they
are not infallible any more than the early Fathers were
individually. Although chosen men, and inspired by
God, they are still mortal and liable to error, and more
than once has the Church been called upon to lament the
sad fall of one or more of her most distinguished teachers.
36. The History of the Church Councils.
" How comely is wisdom for the aged, and understanding and
council to men of honor! Much experience is the crown of old
men."— EccLESiASTicus xxxv.
Altogether different from the individual teachers is
the case in regard to Councils of the Church; those
remarkable and famous assemblages of the bishops of
every land, which have been called together by the Popes
in times of extraordinary necessities or struggles, and
over which they presided either in person or by a duly
authorized representative. The General Church Conven-
tions, or (Ecumenical Councils,* constitute and compose
* Quite different from these are the National Councils, where the
bishops of a wholo nation convene together. Provincial Councils
are those where the bishops of a Church province assemble under
the presidency of their archbishop. Diocesan synods are those
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
the whole teaching Church. As this entire teaching
Church has received the divine promise that the gates of
hell— that is to say, error and falsehood— shall not prevail
against it, the General Councils are, by a special and
supernatural assistance of the Holy Ghost, infallible in all
their decisions regarding faith and morals. Hence all
Christendom has ever directed its most reverent and
attentive gaze upon these Councils, as upon spectacles
f^hich are both important and sacred. During the period
of their sessions, Catholics have always multiplied their
prayers to heaven, begging for the Fathers of the Council
light from heaven, peace and concord, and victory in the
Holy Ghost. Whatever any single bishop may choose to
utter in such a council is of course nothing more than his
own personal testimony. But when, after a series of ses-
sions protracted for months and sometimes for years, and
during which the Fathers of the Councils, by study and
mutual discussion, have done their best to present the
truth pure and unadulterated, the General Council sol-
emnly and formally pronounces its decision, and the Pope
confirms it, then such decision is no longer a mere opinion
of a human court. It is the incontrovertible doctrine of
Jesus Christ himself. He who will not hear it refuses to
hear Christ, and thus by his own act excludes himself
from the kingdom of Christ. Hence the sentence of
Anathema is naught else than the solemn declaration of
the Church, that such an undutiful son has of his own
choice withdrawn from her communion and family.
The first instance of such a General Council of the
Church occurred in the days of the Apostles, in the year
51. Some Christians, who had been recently converted
from Judaism to the Church, maintained that the converts
from paganism should have themselves circumcised, and
observe, even as Christians, the rites and customs pre-
where the priests of a diocese meet and discuss Church questions
under the lead of their bishop.
HISTORY OF TWENTY GENERAL COUNCILS. 125
scribed by the Jewish law. Then the Apostles and the
ancients, or priests, met together in Jerusalem to decide
the points under dispute. St. Peter, the Prince of the
Apostles, opened the Council. Other Apostles spoke after
him, especially Barnabas, Paul, and James. Finally a
unanimous decision was pronounced. It was not a human
and fallible. decision, but a divine definition; for the Apos-
tles distinctly said: **It hath seemed good to the Holy
Ghost and to us to lay no further burden upon you than
these necessary things." — Acts xv.
37. History of the Twenty General Councils.
"Whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the
midst of them and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not.'*
—Luke xxiv. 36.
Adopting this first Council for its model and guide,
the Church has held during the lapse of eighteen centuries
twenty (Ecumenical Councils. At the first, held at Nice,
in the year 325, the errors broached by Arius in opposition
to the Divinity of Jesus Christ were condemned. At the
second, which convened at Constantinople, in the year
381, the errors of Macedonius against the Divinity of the
Holy Ghost were condemned. The third Council, held at
Ephesus, in the year 431, declared, in opposition to Nes-
torius, the revealed truth that there is but one person in
Christ, and not two separate persons; it defined that this
person is divine, and consequently it established and con-
firmed, against the blasphemies of the same heretic, the
honor and dignity of Mary as Mother of God. The fourth
Council, held at Chalcedon, in the year 451, declared
against the heretic Eutyches, and defined the revealed
teaching of faith, that in Christ there are two distinct
natures, the divine and the human, hypostatically united
in one divine person. Similar contested points were set-
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CHKIST IN HIS CHURCH.
tied m the fifth and sixth General Councils at Constanti-
nople, in the years 553 and 680. The seventh Council,
held at Nice, in the year 787, sustained and confirmed the
time-honored and pious yeneration of images. In the
eighth General Council, held at Constantinople, in the
year 869, the wickedness of Photius, who was seeking to
separate the Oriental from the Western Church, was
exposed and condemned. Unhappily the sad disruption
was soon after effected, and hence this was the last General
Council ever held in the Eastern Church.
The four following were held at the Lateran Basilica in
Rome. In the year 1123, the independence and freedom
of the Church from the civil power of the emperor were
declared and maintained. In 1139, the evil effects of the
attempted dismemberment which Peter Leonis had in
vain essayed were effectively remedied, and the baneful
doctrines of the fanatical Arnold of Brescia were rejected
and condemned. In the year 1179, the errors of the Albi-
genses and Waldenses were condemned. Finally, in 1215,
in the twelfth General Council, called also the fourth
Lateran, an effort was made to reunite the Greek Church
with the Latin. The errors of Berengarius, which had
been already refuted in previous years, and which denied
the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, were
again rejected, and the true Catholic doctrine regarding
that sacred mystery was more firmly established and eluci-
dated by the adoption of the term transubstantiation — a
theological word used to express the change of one sub-
stance into another. At the same Council, the dogmas of
the Blessed Trinity, and of the Incarnation of the Son of
God, both of which had ever been taught and believed in
the Church, were reaffirmed, and clearly and briefly formu-
lated. Many other heresies were condemned in this
Council.
The thirteenth and fourteenth Councils were held in
1245 and 1274, at Lyons; the fifteenth at Vienna, in 1311.
HISTORY OB^ TWENTY GENERAL COUNCILS. 127
In the first of these, all Christendom was exhorted to take
up arms and to defend themselves against the incursions
of the Saracens. In the Council held in 1274, the ancient
doctrine of the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the
Father and the Son was renewed and confirmed, and the
union of the Greek and Roman Churches was established,
to be severed again after a very brief duration. In the
fifteenth Council, the excesses and errors of several asso-
ciations were condemned, and the order of the Knight
Templars was suppressed.
The next four Councils have been termed Reformation
Councils, because in them laws and regulations were estab-
lished with a view of putting an end to many abuses that
had crept into the public administration, and into the
lives of people and clergy. These Councils were held as
follows: the sixteenth at Constance, from 1414 to 1418;
the seventeenth at Basel, and afterwards at Ferrara and
Florence, from 1431 to 1447; the eighteenth in the Lateran
at Rome, in 1512. The nineteenth Council was assembled
at Trent, and, with some intermissions, lasted from 1545
to 1563. At Constance the dismal divisions caused by the
schismatical antipopes were healed, and the errors of Huss
and Wickliffe were condemned. In Florence was again
effected a short-lived reunion between the Churches of the
East and the West. At Trent the disastrous errors of
the so-called Reformers were rejected and condemned.
The twentieth General Council of the Church was called
together by the great and glorious Pius the Ninth, in the
twenty-fourth year of his pontificate. The first session
was held at the Vatican in Rome, on the festival of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
eighth day of December, 1869. Nearly eight hundred
prelates of the Church responded personally to the call of
the Vicar of Christ. Although the enemies of the Church,
on all sides, used every effort, both by threats, falsehood,
and calumny, to disturb the peaceful proceedings of the
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128
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Council, their poisoned arrows fell harmless against the
Rock of Peter. The wonderful tranquillity of soul, the
unshaken confidence in God, the unconquerable fortitude,
all so plainly shown in every word, in every act, look, and
gesture of the venerable Pontiff, were not in vain. The
grand and imposing Council was opened, and entered upon
its duties, regardless of the insane opposition of unbe-
lievers. The prevailing errors of our age were mercilessly
condemned. The Fathers lifted the veil from the hypo-
critical face of that false science of our day which would
fain build its proud throne upon the ruins of divine faith.
The independence, rights, and privileges of God's Church
were asserted. On the 18th of July, 1870, the ancient
belief in the Infallibility of the Pope when defining matters
of faith was formulated into a fixed dogma, and solemnly
and officially promulgated as such.
38. The Infallibility of the Pope.
•*In Christ Jesus, I am appointed a preacher and an apostle. I
say the truth, I lie not: a doctor of the Gentiles in faith and truth."
— I. Timothy, ii. 7.
By the inspired action of the Vatican Council, the sub-
lime teaching-oflfice of the Successor of Peter was solemnly
set up in its proper place, before the eyes of the whole
astonished world. There were not wanting silly and
wicked men, who endeavored by misrepresentation and
idle threats to undermine the strength and lessen the dig-
nity of this grand and bold movement on the part of the
Fathers of the Council. They would fain make the world
believe that the Vatican Council had made a god of a sin-
ful, fallible, mortal man. What folly! The Pope is, in
very deed and truth, infallible. But this does not mean
that he is impeccable; that is to say, incapable of being a
sinner personally. Nor does it mean that he cannot err
INFALLIBILITY OF THE POPE.
129
in his own person. He is, of course, a man, and will be
such till death. He can err in his unofficial teachings.
He can err even when deciding as a learned and experi-
enced man on questions of profane and sacred knowledge,
or even in ordaining matters of Church discipline. It is
only when, in virtue of his sacred office and position, as
Shepherd of Christ's fold and as authorized teacher of all
Christians, and by virtue of his supreme apostolical author-
ity, and by virtue of the assistance that our divine Saviour
has promised to St. Peter and his successors, he decides
and defines a question of faith and morals as binding upon
the whole Church, that the Pope of Rome is infallible.
Such was the teaching of the Vatican Council on the ques-
tion of the Infallibility of the Pope. And, in truth, it
was not a new doctrine, but an ancient, time-honored
belief, that was defined and promulgated on the 18th of
July, 1870, by the Fathers in Council assembled. Our
Lord himself, Jesus Christ, proclaimed this doctrine to
the world more than eighteen centuries ago, when he said
to Peter: **Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build
my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not."
Though in former times, before this doctrine was
defined dogmatically, some eminent persons held other
opinions on this subject, yet the great body of the doctors
of the Church have in all ages expressed themselves clearly
on Infallibility, whilst the whole universal Church has at
all times accepted as matters of faith all decisions of the
Popes, and with that complete submission and docility
which indicate a firm belief in the infallibility of the high-
est authority on earth.
It could not be otherwise. Our divine Saviour has set
up firmly and permanently, within his Church, a supreme,
unfailing teaching authority, to which the faithful in every
age, when differences arise among them regarding ques-
tions of faith, can have recourse, and receive, with unquali-
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130
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
fied confidence, a positive and infallible decision. But
centuries may elapse, and have elapsed, without its being
practicable to assemble a General Council. Now the faith-
ful must necessarily be assured of their faith without
delay. Hence there must always be some power to pro-
nounce at once on disputed points. To whom does this
office and authority to decide more properly and justly
belong than to the lawful successor of him whom Christ
appointed to be the foundation-stone of his Church, and
to whom he entrusted the keys of his kingdom on earth,
the Pope ? How can the Pope pronounce a decision, safe
and sure and certain to the doubting, and consoling to the
believing, unless he possess, through supernatural assist-
ance granted for the purpose, the prerogative of infalli-
bility ?
Hence all Christendom returns to its divine Lord and
Master, Jesus Christ, its heartfelt thanks for this sublime
and unfailing teaching authority, which he himself has
constantly exercised throughout all ages, in the person of
the Pope, his visible representative before mankind. When
we see how, on eveiy side of us, those who dwell beyond the
pale of the Church are constantly changing from one
opinion to another, how each individual interprets accord-
ing to his own private notions, and differently from every-
body else, the sacred pages of Holy Writ, we congratulate
ourselves upon the bright and shining light vouchsafed by
Christ to our Church; we appreciate more and more the
priceless blessings of unity and security granted through
infallibility; we cling more closely, and with renewed con-
fidence and hope, to the immovable rock sustaining our
Church. We unite our voices to St. Ambrose, and repeat
with gladness and triumph, " VM Fetrus, ibi Ecclesia''—
"Where Peter is, there is the Church." We make a com-
forting act of faith in the decision rendered by the Fathers
of the Council of Florence, in 1439: "The Roman Pon-
tiff is really and truly the successor of Peter, the Prince
INFALLIBILITY OF THE POPE.
131
Qi the Apostles and the Vicar of Christ, the Head of the
Universal Church; and, in quality of Father, also the
teacher of all Christians; receiving through St. Peter the
power and authority of Jesus Christ our Lord."
Now, if the Council of Florence, nearly five hundred
years ago, thus clearly defined the ample powers of the
Chief Pastor of all Christendom, and if, as is really the
case, three oecumenical synods have been held since that
time, the objection, made by some, that, since the defini-
tion of the Infallibility of the Pope, all General Councils
are unnecessary, falls to the ground at once. Such objec-
tion, in any case, would be groundless. As in the past, so
will it be in the future. Every question of faith and
morals to be decided will be subjected to a rigid and
searching examniation, which will be best conducted amid
an assembly of all the bishops, if the circumstances of the
times will permit such meeting.
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I
CHAPTER V.
THE HISTORY OF THE HIERARCHY,
OF CHURCH RIGHTS, AND OF
CHURCH PENALTIES.
CHRIST LIVES IN HIS CHURCH AS KIKG AND LEGISLATOR.
39. The Kingly Office in the Church.
"We see Jesus, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honor. For in that God hath subjected all things to him, he
left nothing not subject to him." — Hebrews ii. 8, 9.
TTTIIEN Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, ad-
W dressed to our beloved Lord the question, "Art
thou a king ?" Christ answered decidedly, " Thou sayest
it, I am a king: for such I was born, and for such came I
into the world." Oftentimes, too, he styled his Church
his "kingdom." As this Lord and Saviour still lives in
his Church, and shall live forever, so, too, must the kingly
office still exist visibly within her, and for all time; that
is to say, as the Church is a visible kingdom, and, indeed,
the kingdom of Christ, who is himself a king, she must
have a visible government. To this system of govern-
ment appertain not only the duly appointed and lawfully
commissioned officials, but also the justly and legally
enacted laws, according to which these officers must gov-
ern themselves and the general Church. But the Founder
of the Church has said expressly, " My kingdom is not of
this world." That is to say, it has not for its object the
HISTOKY OF THE HIERARCHY.
133
acquisition of worldly goods; it is not dependent on
earthly power or authority ; nor does it seek to oversee
or to administer civil governments, yet it cannot permit
itself to be controlled or enslaved by the laws of the civil
•power. The Church and the State are two distinct powers
which work harmoniously together, and side by side, for
the welfare of the people collectively and individually.
Both emanate from God, and both are founded on God's
sacred ordinance. Hence the authority of the civil func-
tionary is not dependent on the Church, any more than
the authority of ecclesiastics depends on the civil power.
The power and authority with which the Heads of the
Church are clothed, are altogether spiritual, and are
derived from heaven itself. The several grades of orders
and of dignity among the clergy, when taken together,
are termed the hierarchy, whilst the laws and ordinances
in accordance with which these administer their respective
offices, are called canon law and Church discipline.
40. History of the Grades, or Order of Dignity,
among the Clergy of the Church.
THE HIERARCHY.
•' Behold, I will lay thy stones in order. All thy children shall
be taught of the Lord."— Isaiah liv. 11.
The "living stones laid in order," with which the
Jerusalem of the New Law, namely the teaching Church,
is built, are the clergy of the different ranks or grades.
We find, even in apostolic times, sufficient evidence to
enable us to conclude with positive certainty that the
hierarchy existed then, with its grades and dignities, and
that therefore it must rest upon divine appointment. At
the head and front of the clergy we find St. Peter and his
lawful successors, the bishops of Eome, afterwards called
€
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134
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Popes. We know that Pope Clement, who was only the
third in succession after St. Peter, wrote from the city of
Kome a pastoral letter to the people at Corinth, in which
he authoritatively counsels them concerning their strifes
and contentions, and plainly says that he "dare not
depose their priests who had been correct and faithful in
the discharge of their duties." And at the very time that
Clement sent, from so great a distance, this letter to the
Corinthians, the holy Evangelist St. John was still alive
and in their immediate vicinity. How, tlicn, could St.
Clement have presumed to interfere in the Church affairs
of so remote a congregation, and during the lifetime of
an Apostle, if Christendom did not recognize the bishop
of Eome as the general head of the Church? Hence, St.
Ignatius, who was himself a disciple of the Apostles, styles
the Church of Eome "the Mistress of the Covenant of
love," that is, g| Christianity. Other Fathers of the
ancient Church assert the same truth. St. IrenaBus
declares : " On account of her mighty pre-eminence, all
believers must agree with the Church of Eome." And
Tertullian, even after lit had fallen into error, testified
that the bishop of Eome "is the bishop of bishops." St.
Cyi^rian, too, styles the episcopal see of Eome, "the chair
of Peter, the centre of ecclesiastical unity, with which all
bishops must be in communion." We see, therefore, how
far out of the way these people are, who imagine that they
utter a reproach against our good sense when they call
us papists or ultramontanes.* The disgrace is not ours,
but they themselves are to be pitied ; for they are but lit-
tle conversant with holy Scripture and the history of early
Christianity, and they give the lie to their own fathers
who but a couple of centuries ago were truly loyal to the
Popes.
* Ultramontane is a term applied to those Catholics who are in
faithful communiou with the Pope. The word itself means "over
the mountain;" that is, beyond the Alps.
...
HISTORY OF THE HIERARCHY.
136
As the Popes are the lawful successors of St. Peter, so
the bishops are the lawful successors of the other apostles.
Even in the apostolic age the prelates maintained their
superiority over the other ministers of the Church. Thus,
although in the island of Crete, at Ephesus, and in the seven
churches to whom St. John in his Apocalypse addresses
himself, there were several ministers of the Church, yet
the apostles Paul and John, in their epistles, address but
one person, who appears to have been a bishop intrusted
with the spiritual charge of the entire Christian commu-
The Catholic Hierarchy.
nity. We have from Tertullian a very remarkable deci-
sion on this question : " The right," he says, "to baptize
belongs to the higher or superior priest, who is the bishop ;
and after him to the priests and deacons, who, however,
must be authorized by the bishop."
At a very early period the individual bishops of a
neighborhood conceived the idea of uniting themselves in
a common union, giving the precedence to the bishop who
dwelt in the metropolis, or mother city, or chief town of
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134
CHRIST IN HIS CIIUKCII.
Popes. We know that Pope Clement, wlio was only tlic
third in succession after St. Peter, wrote from the city of
Home a pastoral letter to the people at Corinth, in which
he authoritatively counsels them concerning their strifes
and contentions, and plainly says that he "dare not
depose their priests who had been correct and faithful in
the discharge of their duties." And at the very time that
Clement sent, from so great a distance, tliis letter to the
Corinthians, the holy Evangelist St. John was still alive
and in their immediate vicinity, llow, then, could St.
Clement have presumed to interfere in the Church affairs
of so remote a congregation, and during the lifetime of
an Apostle, if Christendom did not recognize the bishop
of Rome as the general head of the Church? Hence, St.
Ignatius, who was himself a discijile of the Apostles, styles
the Church of Rome "the Mistress of tlie Covenant of
love," that is, of Christianity. Other Fathers of the
ancient Church assert the same truth. St. Irenaeus
declares : " On account of her miglity pre-eminence, all
believers must agree with the Church of Rome." And
Tertullian, even after he had fallen into error, testified
that the bishop of Rome "is the bishop of bishops." St.
Cyprian, too, styles the episcopal see of Rome, "the chair
of Peter, the centre of ecclesiastical unity, with which all
bishops must be in communion." We see, therefore, how
far out of the way these people are, who imagine that they
utter a reproach against our good sense when they call
us papists or ultramontanes.* The disgrace is not ours,
but they themselves are to be pitied ; for they are but lit-
tle conversant with holy Scripture and the history of early
Christianity, and they give the lie to their own fathers
wbo but a couple of centuries ago were truly loyal to the
Popes.
* Ultramoniane is a term applied to those Catholics who are in
faithful communiou witli the Pope. The word itself means "over
the mountain;" that is, beyond the Alps.
HISTORY OF THE HIERARCHY.
135
As the Popes are the lawful successors of St. Peter, so
the bishops are the lawful successors of the other apostles.
Even in the apostolic age the prelates maintained their
superiority over the other ministers of the Church. Thus,
although in the island of Crete, at Ephesus, and in the seven
churches to whom St. John in his Apocalypse addresses
himself, there were several ministers of the Church, yet
the apostles Paul and John, in their epistles, address but
one person, who appears to have been a bishop intrusted
with the spiritual charge of the entire Christian commu-
The Catholic Hierarchy.
nity. We have from Tertullian a very remarkable deci-
sion on this question : " The right," he says, "to baptize
belongs to the higher or superior priest, who is the bishop ;
and after him to the priests and deacons, who, however,
must be authorized by the bishop."
At a very early period the individual bishops of a
neighborhood conceived the idea of uniting themselves in
a common union, giving the precedence to the bishop who
dwelt in the metropolis, or mother city, or chief town of
III
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
the province. Thus Jerusalem (afterwards Caesarea), An-
tioch, Alexandria, and later Constantinople, and other
cities were considered as metropolitan or mother-churches
of their surrounding districts respectively. Among these
metropolitan dioceses, after the Church had begun to
spread wider and more rapidly, another order or office
was soon established ; for the prelates in the most impor-
tant cities were styled patriarchs, by virtue of which title
they enjoyed in many points a superiority over the arch-
bishops, as these did over their suffragan bishops.
At a very early period the bishops had ministers to
assist them, who, although by virtue of their ordination
enjoyed full sacerdotal powers, yet were permitted to
exercise them only when commissioned by their respec-
tive bishops. These were the simple priests, whose duty
it was to assist the bishops in their functions in the prin-
cipal congregation, or in the surrounding districts of the
neighborhood, as well also to act in their places in case of
necessity. In the fourth century, after the conversion of
the Emperor Constantine, the Church grew so very rap-
idly, that besides the bishop's church in the chief city,
many other congregations were formed both in the city
and in the surrounding country, and intrusted to the care
of these priests, who then became pastors. That is to
say, they were assigned permanently to separate churches,
with full power to conduct divine service and to exercise
the care of souls, but always in the name of the bishop.
St. Athanasius describes the existence of several parishes
in the vicinity of Alexandria. At the time of the Coun-
cil of Chalcedon, in the year 450, such parishes existed
everywhere.
Besides the priest, we meet with other spiritual assist-
ants of the bishops, as was explained previously in the
discourse on priestly ordination. The deacons, the insti-
tution of whose office is mentioned in the sixth chapter
of the '^Acts of the Apostles," occupied the first place
HISTORY OF CHURCH RIGHTS.
137
among these last. Besides having charge of the poor,
sick, and needy, they were expected to care of, and take
part in spiritual functions, such as preaching, baptizing,
and assisting the bishop at the sacrifice of the mass.
All these spiritual assistants, priests, and deacons,
when permanently attached to a bishop's church, were
called cardinals in the early times, from the fact that a
bishop's church was looked upon as a centre or middle-
point {cardo) on which all the surrounding churches
hinged. We may easily suppose, as was indeed the case,
these ecclesiastics were very numerous in the ancient and
mother Church at Rome ; and as this Church advanced in
numbers and importance, it gradually became customary
to limit the title of cardinal to the immediate assistants
of the Popes. According to a decision of Pope Sixtus V.,
their number was not to exceed seventy: six cardinal
bishops, fifty cardinal priests, and fourteen cardinal dea-
cons. These compose the high senate of Christendom,
the Council of the Pope ; and to them belongs, especially
since the pontificate of Pope Nicholas II. in 1059, the
right of electing the Popes
i
41. The History of Church Rights.
"Stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have learned,
whether by word, or in our epistle."— Thessalonians ii. 14.
The dignitaries of the Church, or ecclesiastical author-
ities, do not own the Church, nor its inferior ministers,
nor the faithful. Neitlier have they the right to govern
the Church of God according to their own whims and
fancies. For the divine-human King, whose subordinates
they are, is a Prince of peace. He himself brought us
this peace, and it is his wish that this peace of his should
ever prevail m his kingdom upon earth. N'ow peace can
exist only where there are wise ordinances and judicious
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CHKI8T IN HIS CHURCH.
laws, and both of these have existed in the Church from
the very beginning. Both clergy and laity are bound by
these laws and regulations, and thus the whole Church is
grounded in holy discipline and maintained in peace and
harmony, as Christ intended. Ecclesiastical ordinances,
also called Church-laws, were not enacted all at once, and
centuries elapsed before they reached the completeness in
which we now possess them, as contained in that law code
which theologians call corpus juris canonici — the embodi-
ment of canon law. They grew gradually from the deci-
sions of Church-councils, from the decrees of popes, and
the opinions of learned Doctors and Fathers of the Church.
Although many of these laws, unlike divine faith, are
Hable to and susceptible of change, according to the cir-
cumstances of time and place, yet they are founded upon
unchangeable and undying principles established in the
Church by Christ himself or by his immediate Apostles.
A few of the most important of these everlasting princi-
ples may be here adduced for the instruction and edifica-
tion of the Christian reader.
1. The Catholic Church is the sole and sacred spouse
of Jesus Christ. Hence, those persons who wilfully and
obstinately repudiate the faith of this universal Church,
or who, by great scandals and wickedness of life, cast dis-
honor upon her, must be excommunicated or banished
from her bosom, till such time as they repent and seek
readmission with a full and sincere determination to make
ample satisfaction. Our Lord himself decreed this law
when he said : '*He who will not hear the Church, let
him be to thee as a heathen ;" that is, let him be consid-
ered as outside of the pale of the Church. The holy Apostles
themselves acted in accordance with this decree. St.
Paul, for example, writes to Timothy : " This precept I
commend to thee, 0 son Timothy, according to the proph-
ecies going before on thee, that thou war in them a good
warfare. Having faith and a good conscience, which some
HISTORY OF CHURCH RIGHTS.
139
rejecting have made shipwreck concerning the faith, of
whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered
up to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."
Indeed, the Apostles looked upon a strictness of faith
and a concurrence in Christian teaching as of so much
importance, that St. Paul does not hesitate to declare that
if an angel from heaven should come and teach any other
doctrine, he should be anathema. In the same way, too,
they treated other vices ; for St. Paul, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, delivered the blasphemer at Corinth to
Satan, to the destruction of the flesh, that his soul might
be saved. And this power of excommunication existed
during all ages in the Church down to our own time, as a
sad but necessary means of preserving purity of faith and
of maintaining holy discipline in the Church of God.
Should the transgressor enter into himself, he would, after
longer or shorter penance, be absolved from the sentence
of excommunication and readmitted to the pale of that
Church from which he had of his own choice gone forth.
2. It is of extreme advantage to the Christian to follow
the example of Christ and his chosen followers, and to
crucify the lusts of the flesh by fasting and abstinence
from certain kinds of food. The Church has always
claimed and exercised the right to appoint common days
and general seasons of fasting. She preached and prac-
tised bodily mortification, from the very earliest days of
her existence ; for we find mention made, in the first Gen-
eral Council of Nice, of the precept of fasting, as of a
very ancient, well understood, and universally admitted
matter of discipline. And although the prescribed time
of fasting, and its ancient severity, have in the course of
ages been very much modified and moderated, yet at no
time did the precept itself cease to exist, or to have bind-
ing power.
3. Matrimony having been elevated by Christ to the
dignity of a great sacrament in his Church, to that Church
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
necessarily belong the right and the duty to establish the
conditions under which, and the mode in which, it is to be
administered. She has always maintained, as an article
of faith, that a lawfully contracted and fully consum-
mated marriage between two Christians is indissoluble.
On the same grounds, she has, in accordance with the will
of God, appointed certain impediments to marriage ; such
as near relationship, affinity, and others. From the begin-
ning, she ordained that matrimony should be administered
publicly, that is, before the face of the Church. With
this view, the Council of Lateran decreed that every
betrothment (sponsalia) should be made known ; while
the Council of Trent requires the publication of the banns
three separate times at the parish-mass on Sundays or holy
days of obligation. The Church has always looked upon
mixed marriages as a great misfortune and as threatening
danger ; permitting them merely in order to avoid greater
evils, and always on condition that the offspring shall
receive Catholic education and training. The Church has
never admitted as true and real marriages the so-called
civil marriages, that is, those pretended marriages per-
formed before a politician, with intended contempt for the
principles and blessing of the Church.* Moreover, she
looks with a shudder upon the so-called married life of
such parties, and considers such wedlock a continued pro-
test and sin against the most sacred laws of God. (See
page 97).
4. The celibacy of the clergy is in keeping both with
their sublime calling and with the sacred duties of their
office. Jesus Christ, the first and greatest high-priest,
chose to observe in his own life perpetual continency.
And according as the Church became more vividly im-
pressed with the dignity and sacredness of the holy mass,
♦ Where the Council of Trent has not been officially promul-
gated, these marriages before politicians, though clandestine, escape
nullity.
HISTORY OF CHURCH RIGHTS
141
the more ardently she must have desired to see these holy
mysteries performed by a pure and virgin priesthood. The
priest is the bridegroom of the congregation of souls
intrusted to his care. He must love each and every soul
with a supernatural love; be willing to share his income
with the poor; must be indefatigable in the discharge of
the duties of his office night and day, and employ his
leisure moments in study and prayer. Even in time of
pestilence and contagious epidemic, he must not hesitate
to risk his health and even his life for his flock. It is his
happy privilege and sacred duty to defend, regardless of
human respect, the truth and the law of Christ, and the
rights of His Church, even if such defence bring upon
him enmities, ridicule, worldly losses, imprisonment, death
itself. How could the priest comply faithfully with all
these inexorable obligations, if entrammelled with the
duties of a husband and of a father of children ? Hence
the apostles renounced all things, even their wives, in
order the more freely and exclusively to devote themselves
to the service of Christ; and from their time we may date
the custom which generally prevailed, of all those who
served in the ministry living unmarried lives. As this edi-
fying custom was threatened with lapsing into disuse, it
was made a fixed law by the bishops assembled m 305 at
the synod of Elvira. They decreed that married men,
desirous of entering the ministry, should renounce the
cares of married life. In a like manner, the Fathers of
the Church, assembled at Neo Caesarea in the year 314,
declared : '* Any priest who contracts matrimony shall be
deprived of his office." When, now and then, in the
stormy and unsettled condition of society in the earlier
years of the middle ages, corruption threatened to invade
the ranks of the clergy, there were always great and good
men, such, for example, as Gregory VII., Innocent III.,
and many others, who rose up and renewed and enforced
the law of celibacy. And if, from time to time, unhappy
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
ecclesiastics have fallen, and thereby plunged the Church
into grief, she has not forgotten that similar misfortunes
have befallen even married men and married preachers of
heterodox churches, all too often ; and that the Catholic
priest, if he will but avail himself of the superabundant
means of grace placed at his disposal, and be mindful of
his heaven-like dignity, may readily and successfully main-
tain his purity intact, and thereby gain for himself not
only the brightest of crowns in the next world, but even
here below secure the unbounded confidence and tenderest
respect on the part of those intrusted to his charge.
! 1!
42. Selection and Appointment of the Clergy,—
Their Maintenance.
" For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldst ordain
priests in every city, as I also appointed thee." — Titus i. 5.
The right of appointing ecclesiastics to any special
ofiBce of the Church must be confined to those only whose
lawful position and relation to the office in question, or
whose long and faithful services to the Church, are a guar-
antee that they will make a suitable and useful and disin-
terested choice. Hence, in the beginning, the first bish-
ops were appointed by the Apostles themselves. Later,
the bishops were chosen by the assembled ecclesiastics of
the vacant episcopal sees, respectively; but under the
direction of the neighboring bishops, and in presence of
and with the consent of the faithful. But afterwards,
when the Cross had gained complete victory over pagan-
ism, and kings and governments had become Christian,
this right of a voice in elections, which formerly was exer-
cised by the people, was gradually and imperceptibly
wrested from them by the more cunning, or more able
leaders and princes and politicians. And as some subse-
quent bishops were also princes, the German emperors
SELECTION OF THE CLERGY.
143
especially claimed, and for a short time exercised, a right
of appointment, by means of which many of their un-
worthy favorites were thrust into vacant episcopal sees.
Gregory VII., liowever, combated vigorously this danger-
ous abuse, but it was not till after many struggles, that at
last a settlement was agreed upon, in the year 1122, be-
tween Pope Calixtus II. and the emperor Henry V. of
Germany, by virtue of which the free election of bishops
was guaranteed to the chapters of the I'espective cathe-
drals. However, in order to show a becoming respect to
the princes of the different countries, who were, or at least
ought to be, the proper representatives of the people, a
very important part in the election ef bishops was, in the
course of time, granted to these lay representatives. In
order to guard against the appointment or election of un-
worthy persons to so sublime and sacrod an office as that
of the episcopacy, the Pope always resei ved to himself the
riglit of confirming or rejecting the ch7ice made by the
electors.
The choice of the other ecclesiastics in a diocese be-
longed, in the beginning, by common consent, to the
bishop. Of this fact, St. Jerome assures us, when he says:
**The bishops have the right, in their own districts, to
appoint the priests." Yet, in very early times, many
bishops used to call to their aid and counsel, in making
an appointment, the other priests of their dioceses, and
even the laity. Again, in later times, the bishops granted
to such princes, monasteries, and communities as were
generous enough to support a parish with their own means,
the privilege of designating their clergyman, whom he
himself then confirmed, if a proper person, or rejected if
unfit for the office. The bishop's approbation was neces-
sary to entitle the candidate to receive the revenues of the
parish.
As the priest must serve the altar, so too he must live
by the altar, and be provided with the necessary means of
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
subsistence. The primitive Christians attended to this
important matter without any fixed law. As under the
old dispensation, the priests and Levites received a tenth
part for their subsistence, so the early Christians took
pleasure in offering the best of their substance to those
who had care of their souls. These offerings were made
sometimes monthly, sometimes weekly, and again during
the offertory at public service, when bread, wine, corn,
oil, and other gifts were presented in the churches. At a
very early period the aggregate income of a church was
divided into four parts. Of these, one was for the main-
tenance of the bishop, one for the proper and decent sup-
port of the clergy of the church, a third part was employed
in repairing the edifice and keeping up divine service, and
the fourth part was invariably given to the poor.
As in the course of centuries, the Church obtained
uiany bequests, and even very considerable emoluments
from the emperors who embraced Christianity, and as
different Church Councils, as that of Tours in 560, and
that of Macon in 586, enforced the offering of tithes, the
system of benefices gradually arose. Certain parcels of
land were attached to every ecclesiastical office, and out of
the income yielded, the clergy appointed to such office were
to live. About the year 850, this system had become uni-
versal in the Church. At the same time, the clergy were
required by law not to consider these revenues as exclu-
sively thetr own property. They were permitted to use
what was necessary for a comfortable sustenance, and to
employ the remainder for God's honor and glory, for the
advancement of religion and education, and for the relief
of the poor.
In later years, several of the state governments have
appropriated to themselves the revenues and ancient endow-
ments of the Church, and pretended to assume by law the
duty of paying out of these moneys an annual salary to
bishops and priests. As these salaries are the product of
HISTORY OF CHURCH TEMPORALITIES. 145
the ancient Church property, and as a large part of the
ecclesiastical wealth of former times is still in the hands
of politicians, and used for political purposes, it were un-
kind and unjust to boast of the " alms" which these gov-
ernments extend '* in charity" to the clergy.
43. The History of Church Temporalities.
" I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes of Israel in pos-
session, for the ministry wherewith they serve me in the tabernacle
of the covenant." — Numbers xviii. 21.
Although the kingdom of God is not of this world, yet
as it exists in this world, .nd is to a certain extent depend-
ent upon human means and earthly resources in order to
attain its aims and objects, the Church may accept endow-
ments, tithes, bequests, and other donations. These are
to be considered as inviolable ecclesiastical property, and
must not be diverted from the sacred purposes of the
Church. On the other hand, several fanatical persons
arose at various periods, who condemned the holding of
goods by the Church as unchristian. They inveighed bit-
terly against the wealth of the monasteries and the income
^f the bishops; seeming to forget that these moneys
tvere used for the most part in good works, such as the
beautifying of divine worship, the education of the young
in convents and parish schools, and for the supjTort of the
needy, and hence contributed much to the free action and
usefulness of the Church in the spirit of Jesus Christ. It
is remarkable that those bishops who used the least of their
revenues for themselves, and who led the most abstemious
and mortified lives, were those who fought most strenu-
ously in defence of the rights and property of the Church.
Among the countless instances that have occurred
throughout the history of Christianity, showing the fidel-
ity with which the Church revenues were applied by the
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
bishops to the purposes intended, and also the dis-
interestedness of the prelates, may be mentioned the
case of Bishop Caulet, of Pamiers. This saintly pre-
late was condemned by Louis XIV., of France, in 1678,
to lose the temporalities of his diocese, because he was
bold enough to rebuke the unjust and despotic actions of
that king in his dealings with the Church. The bishop,
on hearing his sentence, sent to the king a letter, in which
he wrote: "I cannot be denied permission to ask your
royal majesty a just request. If I have been guilty of any
wrong, and have been so adjudged, please to take from
me only that portion of my episcopal revenues which I
have hitherto employed for my own personal maintenance.
I am not ashamed to appeal to the generosity and charity
of my flock, who will not see me in want of the neces-
saries of life, without offering abundant alms. But do
not compel others, who are innocent of any wrong-doing,
to share my disgrace and punishment. For I must in-
form your majesty that those incomes, just taken away
from me by judicial proceedings, were to be devoted to
the support of two seminaries in which young ecclesias-
tics are being trained for the direction and instruction of
the souls of your subjects; to the renovation of the Cathe-
dral, almost ruined by the excesses of the heretics; to the
restoration and beautifying of other churches in my dio-
cese; to the support of many poor persons, who if deprived
of this support will be reduced to extreme suffering; and
finally, to the liquidation of the debts that I have eon-
tracted for all the above purposes. In regard to my own
person, and my private necessities, I shall bear with full-
est resignation whatever divine Providence may be pleased
to inflict upon me.''
TEMPORAL POWER OE THE POPES.
147
44. The Temporal Power of the Popes. Rome
and the States of the Church.
" And the angel said: O Lord of Hosts, how long wilt thou not
have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Juda, with which
thou hast been angry? This is now the seventieth year. And the
Lord answered the angel comfortable words. "—Zacharias i, 13.
The Church of Rome, being the centre of Christianity,
surpassed at a very early period all other churches in the
amount of her money, and in the value of gold and silver
vessels, and of houses and lands. The aggregate of this
wealth was called the Patrimony of St. Peter. Nowhere
on earth could there be found a more honestly-earned
property, or more honorable and lawful possession. Many
of the descendants of ancient and renowned Roman fami-
lies, heroic and senatorial families, became Catholics
during the first three hundred years of Christianity, and
from time to time they consecrated the whole or a part of
their immense fortunes to the service of Jesus Christ, in
the person of his Vicars on earth, the Popes. Constantino
the CJreat and his successors, as representatives of the law
of the land, subsequently confirmed and augmented these
endowments. Hence the Popes of the fifth and sixth
centuries, even before they became temporal rulers, were
the largest technical real-estate holders in Europe: all of
course in trust for the benefit of the Church. The mag-
nitude of these possessions; the judicious management of
the same; the truly Christian fidelity with which the rev-
enues were applied to promote the honor of God, the
advancement of the Church, and the welfare of the peo-
ple; more especially the poor widows and orphans; all
tended to so augment the power and influence, and
heighten the character of the Popes in the estimation of
the people, that the Chief Pastors enjoyed, even then,
almost princely recognition as wise and faithful tem])oral
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
rulers. Let any one acquainted with the history of gov-
ernments examine the title-deeds of the several reigning
dynasties in Europe and America, whether monarchical or
republican, and he will find that sovereignty was acquired
in many, if not most instances, by the founder of each
royal house or commonwealth, through the means of false-
hood, perjury, usurpation, oppression, bloodshed, and
oftentimes by the violent casting aside of those who had a
better claim to the sceptre, the crown, or chair of supreme
authority. There are dark blotches on the parchment
which records their acquisition of authority, and if sub-
mitted to chemical tests by experts in chemistry, it would
be found that these are spots of human blood. Not one
of these dynasties, however, goes so far back into antiquity
as that of the Popes. Their title, whatever else may be
said of it, is as pure and stainless as the ermine which
borders their robes of office.
The Emperor Constantine, after having overcome his
adversaries in battle, resolved to build the city of Con-
stantinople far away in the East, and establish there the
seat of empire, which had hitherto been at Rome. From
that period there was no little confusion in the mode of
administering temporal authority within the states that
have since been called the Patrimony of St. Peter. The
interval was nearly five hundred years. For some time
the Roman emperors kept their representatives in Italy,
but these almost without exception proved inefficient and
insincere. They could not protect the people of Italy
against the successive incursions of the Herules, Goths,
and Lombards. The people became a defenceless prey to
the avarice and cruelty of these barbarous marauders.
Again and again the Popes, as chief pastors of these suf-
fering people, appealed to the emperor in Constantinople,
beseeching him to send troops for the protection of the
Italian States. But their efforts were in vain, their appeals
disregarded; for the eastern portion of the Empire was
TEMPORAL POWER OE THE POPES.
149
itself threatened from similar sources. It was even dis-
covered that the emperor had made secret treaties with
the marauders, to the effect that if they spared the eastern
portion, their incursions into Italy would not be interfered
with by the presence of the imperial troops. In the
meantime, the people of Central Italy threw themselves
into the arms of the Sovereign Pontiffs for the protection
which they could not longer expect from any other source.
The Popes left nothing undone to correspond with their
Pope Leo the Great and Attila.
wishes; in famine, in pestilence, amid the desolations of
carnage, they were, if not the protectors of the people, at
least their fathers and their comforters. In his solicitude
for his flocks, the Chief Pastor at Rome even risked his
life to defend them. His heart bled with theirs in the
contemplation of the ruins surrounding them on all sides.
As early as 449, when Attila, king of the Goths, after
laying waste a great part of Italy, was about to attack and
destroy the city of Rome, Pope Leo the Great went forth
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
as the temporal Kepreseutative of the people, as well as the
spiritual and temporal Representative of Christ, to meet
and check the ruthless invader. By the impressive dignity
of his presence, but more especially by the wisdom and
miraculous power of his words, the Pope touched the heart
of Attila, who at once retraced his steps and left Italy.
An old tradition has it, that during the Pope's address to
the devastating commander, the latter saw in the air the
figures of the twin Apostles Peter and Paul, both witli
drawn swords, and threatening instant destruction of him-
self and army, should he venture to enter the Eternal City.
Again, a few years later, Genseric, the ruthless king of the
terrible Vandals, was advancing towards Rome, spreading
death and desolation on all sides. The same Pope, Leo
the Great, went out unprotected to meet the barbarian, and
although not succeeding in preventing the capture of the
city, he dissuaded the enemy from destroying it, and from
murdering its inhabitants. Like Pope Leo, all the subse-
quent pontiffs continued to shield and assist the people of
Italy. They employed their incomes in rebuilding the
defences of the Capital, in raising the temples of God,
and the homes of man from the ruin caused by time and
war. They sent into the plundered districts whole fleets
laden with gi*ain, and lent their aid, both by word and
work, where no other aid or encouragement could be found.
Thus the Popes hecsunede facto, if not de jure, temporal
sovereigns of that portion of Italy which had been aban-
doned by the Eastern emperor, and which, until the recent
robberies of the late Victor Emmanuel, constituted the
States of the Church. During the eighth century, a suc-
cession of conflicts arose between the Lombards on one
side, and the few feeble forces of the Empire still in Italy
on the other. The Popes interfered in behalf of peace
and humanity. The Lombards were victorious, and cap-
tured many towns, among them Ravenna, the seat of the
last vestige of imperial power. King Luitprand, in 742,
TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPES.
151
gave to Pope Zachary the city and province of Sutri, as
*' bei7ig the lawful property of St. Peter.'' This was the
first formal bestowal of a city to the Church, and really
the nucleus of the "Temporal Power."
It was not long, however, till the Lombards renewed
hostilities against Rome and Lower Italy. Pope Stephen
III. appealed earnestly once more to the emperor in Con-
stantinople, beseeching him to protect his subjects' lives
and property. In vain. The Eastern Empire now com-
pletely abandoned the ancient capital of the world, and
thus forfeited all claim to the allegiance of its inhabitants.
A visit, made in person by the Pope to the Lombard king
Astolphus, was equally barren of any good results. In
this emergency. Pope Stephen, in his solicitude for the
safety of his flocks, resolved to go himself to Pepin, king
of France. The visit took place in November of the mem-
orable year 753. At the convent of St. Maurice, in Switz-
erland, the Pope was met by the French ambassadors, who,
with all possible respect, accompanied the Head of the
Christian Church to the royal palace of Pontignon, north
of Paris. Pepin readily acceded to the Pontiff's request,
namely, to deliver the Romans from the attacks* of Astol-
phus. So well were the temporal rights of the Pope
recognized, that Pepin first sent ambassadors to Astolphus,
king of the Lombards, entreating him to make restitution
of the territory belonging to the holy Church of God.
The Pope also wrote to him in the same spirit. Deaf to
these entreaties, he still persevered in his encroachments
upon the Papal territory. Pepin came at the head of his
army, chastised the barbarian, compelled him to restore
the territory which he had usurped, and bound him by
treaty not to invade it again. This treaty, however, was
not observed, and it soon became necessary for Pepin's son
Charlemagne to make war again on the Lombards, and
wrest from them, once for all, the property of the Church,
which he gave to the Popes as the patrimony of the holy
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CHBIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Apostles and of the Roman Church. He also contirmed
the Pontiff in the temporal sovereignty, which he had
exercised already for many years. The emperor Coprony-
mus sent, from Constantinople, ambassadors to the French
conqueror, claiming the territory from which the Lom-
bards had been driven; but, as may be supposed, the
petition was refused with contempt and disdain. The
Eastern emperor had allowed the barbarians to invade the
States of the Church, which he should have protected,
and then when these barbarians had been expelled by
French valor and chivalry, under the command of their
sovereign, it was too late for Constantinople to make the
petition. Pepin and Charlemagne were at liberty to dis-
pose of the conquered territory as they thought proper,
and they conferred it upon the See of St. Peter.
It is true that amid the incessant storms of persecution
that have raged about and against the Bark of Peter,
these temporalities have frequently been unjustly torn
from the faithful and protecting hands of the Head of
the Church. Often, too, has he himself been driven into
exile, and sometimes held as a prisoner. Yet always, in
his own good time, the Providence of God has conducted
the Sovereign Pontiff, in triumph over his enemies, back
to the Eternal City, and placed him again custodian of
those possessions which have been consecrated to the
maintenance, dignity, and independence of the Church.
To-day, all Christendom is awaiting with patient con-
fidence the time when that same God will restore to his
venerable and Saintly Representative, Leo the Thirteenth,
those temporal possessions which a sacrilegious and ava-
ricious government wrested from his predecessor, amid
bloodshed and carnage, in September, 1870.* Although
• At the " Congress of Paris," during the year 1856, the Italian
Minister of State, the infamous Cavour, aided and abetted by Eng-
lish perfidy, declared against the temporal power of the Pope. His
objections were triumphantly refuted by Count Rtiyneval, French
TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPES.
153
during the first three centuries of Christianity, when the
Church was bathed in the blood of her children, the Sov-
ereign Pontiff was not a Temporal Kuler, and although
the Temporal Power may not be absolutely necessary to
the Church, yet the Catholics of all tongues and climes
have spoken out on the subject with marvellous unanim-
ity: declaring it to be their irrevocable desire that the
lawful bishop of Rome shall be the sole guardian of the
accumulated offerings of their generous and self-sacrificing
forefathers in the faith. All Catholics believe that the
Temporal Power is necessary in order to insure the inde-
pendence of their Chief Pastor, and to secure the untram-
melled liberty of the Church. They demand and will
accept nothing less than the recognition by all men of
the ancient rights and privileges of the Holy See.
ambassador to Rome. After the defeat of Austria at Magenta, by
Napoleon III., in 1859, the Romagna and the Legations were wrested
from the government of Pius IX. Again, after the engagement at
Castelfidardo, in October. 1860, the Marches and Umbria were
stolen. On the 3d of November, 1867, the Papal troops, with the
aid of the French soldiers, repelled successfully an assault made by
the Garibaldians at Mentana. But, as soon as Rome was vacated by
the French troops, the late king, Victor Emmanuel, besieged the
city, and finally wrested from the Church the last of her posses-
sions.
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THE HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS.
CHRIST LIVES IN HIS CHURCH AS
THE HOLY ONE.
45. Holiness in the Catholic Church.
*• Christ also loved the Church and delivered himself up for it,
that he might sanctify it, a glorious Church, not having spot or
Tvrinkle, holy and without blemish."— Ephesians v. 25 et al.
TTTELL and truly does St. Luke describe the hap|>y
V V effect of close union with Christ, when he tells us, in
"The Acts of the Apostles," "The multitude of believers
had but one heart and one soul." Our Blessed Lord and
Saviour has himself explained to us, by means of a beauti-
ful parable, his very close union with the living members
of his Church, and his undying life in that Church. He
tells us, "I am the vine, you are the branches." The
branch shoots forth from the main trunk, and must be
connected with it in order to preserve its own life. For
only one life exists in both. All those saps or vital forces
circulating in the branch and producing leaves, blossoms,
and fruit, flow from the vine into every healthy limb.
Christ is the true vine, and in him dwelleth, in the
greatest fullness and completeness, all holiness of life; for
the eternal Father hath declared: "This is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased." Now, as the vital power
of the main vine-tree circulates through the branch, so
does holiness of life flow from Christ into each individual
HOLINESS IN THE CATHOLIC CHUECH. 155
believer in particular, and into the Church of God in
general.
As Christ, who is holiness itself and the source of all
sanctity, lives in his Church, that Church must necessarily
be holy, and holy men must likewise necessarily exist
within her pale at all times. Christ, the all-holy one.
A Monk at Prayer.
manifests himself in their virtuous lives. They are the
certain, living witnesses of the true and real existence and
life of Christ in his Church; for each one of them practi-
cally says, by the holiness of his life: "I live, now not I;
but Christ liveth in me." Yes, Christ lives in his saints,
first by his example: for the faithful Christian who cher-
1
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H
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OHAFrEK VI .
THE HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS.
CHRIST LIVES IN HIS CHURCH AS
THE HOLY ONE.
45. Holiness in the Catholic Church.
" Christ also loved the Church and delivered himself up for it,
that he might sanctify it, a glorious Church, not having spot or
crinkle, holy and without blemish."— Ephesians v. 25 el al.
WELL and truly does St. Luke describe the hapyy
effect of close union with Christ, when he tells us, in
**The Acts of the Apostles," <*The multitude of believers
had but one heart and one soul." Our Blessed Lord and
Saviour has himself explained to us, by means of a beauti-
ful parable, his very close union with the living members
of his Church, and his undying life in that Church. He
tells us, "I am the vine, you are the branches." The
branch shoots forth from the main trunk, and must be
connected with it in order to preserve its own life. For
only one life exists in both. All those saps or vital forces
circulating in the branch and producing leaves, blossoms,
and fruit, flow from the vine into every healthy limb.
Christ is the true vine, and in him dwelleth, in the
greatest fullness and completeness, all holiness of life; for
the eternal Father hath declared: ''This is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased." Now, as the vital power
of the main vine-tree circulates through the branch, so
does holiness of life flow from Christ into each individual
i
HOLINESS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 165
believer in particular, and into the Church of God in
general.
As Christ, who is holiness itself and the source of all
sanctity, lives in his Church, that Church must necessarily
be holy, and holy men must likewise necessarily exist
within her pale at all times. Christ, the all-holy one.
A Monk at Prayer.
manifests himself in their virtuous lives. They are the
certain, living witnesses of the true and real existence and
life of Christ in his Church; for each one of them practi-
cally says, by the holiness of his life: *'I live, now not I;
but Christ liveth in me." Yes, Christ lives in his saints,
first by his example: for the faithful Christian who cher-
► f
156
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
ishes in his heart the image of the lowly, obedient, chaste,
and loving Saviour, feels himself inspired and drawn to
become lik^ unto him. Christ lives in his saints by virtue
of his promises; for the superabundant joy of heaven ia
the future sweetens the bitter struggles of the present life;
and he lives, thirdly, by virtue of his mysterious grace,
which flows through the faithful soul with supernatural
life-power, and helps it to overcome the flesh, the world,
and even hell itself.
But the outgrowth of holiness from Christ, the all-holy
One, was not limited merely to the myriads of holy souls
who have adorned the Church in all ages, and who will
adorn her till the end of time. It animated and vivified,
moreover, the very institutions in which and through
which these souls obtained the means of holiness; such as
holy practices, popular pious customs, devout associations
and confraternities, the two-edged sword of the eloquent
preacher and expounder of Scripture, missions, and other
devotions. For, although all these means of holiness may
come through the agency of men, yet it cannot be denied
but that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is acting, in these men
and their works, to the sanctification of his elect.
46. History of Monastic Life in General.
"Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come follow me."— Matthew xix. 21.
Among all these means of holiness, outside of grace
and the sacraments, the monastic life is the most magnifi-
cent; resembling a glorious old tree whose widespreading
branches overshadow the earth. This tree has its triple-
root in Jesus Christ, namely, in his voluntary poverty,
holy obedience, and virgin chastity. In the splendor of
this three-fold beauty, Christ wishes to live here below
HISTORY OF MONASTIC LIFE IN GENERAL. 157
through all ages, and hence he has ever drawn to himself
by mysterious bonds magnanimous and noble souls, and
mspired them with pious and steadfast resolution, to live
like Christ in voluntary poverty, unlimited obedience, and
virginal purity.
And what do these souls seek, who come in such vast
crowds, decked with the harsh thorny crown of voluntary
poverty, laden with the chains of holy obedience, and bear-
mg in their hands the lily of chastity ? They wish to be
released, and to remain forever free from the poor, p^iss-
ing world; from the desire of wealth, and from sensuality
pride, and self-will. They wish to be so free from the
world, and to belong so exclusively to Christ, tliat they
may in truth cry out with him, ^' Our kingdom is not of
this world." But although Jesus Christ was not of this
world, yet he was altogether for this world, and gave him-
self up for the life of the world. So, too, these holy souls,
though not of this world, yet wish to sacrifice themselves
entirely for the world, partly by effecting in the quiet
cloister life, and by prayer, meditation, and rigorous mor-
tification, a never-ending sacrifice of atonement and pro-
pitiation; rendering to divine majesty that adoration and
thanksgiving which the world oWes, but which it com-
monly neglects to pay. These constitute the contempla-
tive orders.
Others sacrifice themselves for the world, by benefiting
it through much manual labor, by imparting knowledge to
the Ignorant, and by rendering assistance to the sick and
afflicted. These are the active orders.
The monastic life is as old as the Church itself, and
will endure, as the fairest flower nf Christian life, as long
as the Church shall live. Originally, those chosen to serve
Cxod in religion remained in their families and parishes
and there practised faithfully the works of Christian per'
fection. During the persecution under the emperor Decius
about the year of Christ 250, many of these religious fled
■
1
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158
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
into the deserts, where they led the lives of hermits. The
very deserts, especially in Egypt, blossomed with the holy
lives of countless servants of God. When some pious
and truly spiritual man of extraordinary gifts would retire
into the solitude, multitudes would gather around him and
linger in his neighborhood,
in order to be guided by his
holiness, wisdom, and ex-
perience, on the way of
Christian perfection. Thus,
hundreds of cells would rise
around his hermitage, and
here his disciples would
dwell and lead lives in con-
formity with his directions.
The first of these** Fath-
ers of the Desert " mention-
ed in historv was St. An-
tony, born in 251, and who
was the founder of solitary
monastic life. The first
Father who withdrew the
monks from their separate
cells and assembled them
into one monastery was St. Pachomius, about the year
325. In a similar manner the sister of St. Antony estab-
lished a convent for the virgins. Monastic life, founded
as it was upon ike three vows of poverty, chastity, and
obedience, grew and flourished in the East, under the
guidance of such great and holy men as St. Basil of Caesa-
rea and others, who cherished and cultivated this fair
young plant with extreme tenderness and skill.
In the West, monasticism honors as its father and patri-
arch the great St. Benedict. Here too the religious life
grew and developed in a v«ri©ty of forms, spreading over
St. Antony.
HISTORY OF MONASTIC LIFE IN GENERAL. 159
all the earth, so that to-day, in spite of persecution and
confiscation, countless monasteries and convents exist in
every quarter of the globe, with more than two hundred
tliousand religious of both sexes.
Among the numerous orders instituted in the West, and
which, with the exception of the spiritual knights, still
St. Dominlck. St. Francis. St. AlphoMus. St. Benedict. St. Ignatina.
The Foundera of the Five Religious Orders.
live and persevere in the active pursuit of their respective
vocations, the Benedictines, Augustinians, Franciscans,
Dominicans, Jesuits, Redemptorists, and other male and
female orders establislied for education, for the care of the
poor, sick, and orphans, deserve our attention.
158
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Ii!
into the deserts, where they led the lives of hermits. The
very deserts, especially in Egypt, blossomed with the holy
lives of countless servants of God. When some pious
and truly spiritual man of extraordinary gifts would retire
into the solitude, multitudes would gather around him and
linger in his neigliborhood,
in order to be guided by his
holiness, wisdom, and ex-
perience, on the way of
Christian perfection. Thus,
hundreds of cells would rise
around his liermitage, and
here his disciples would
dwell and lead lives in con-
formity with his directions.
The first of these** Fath-
ers of the Desert " mention-
ed in historv was St. An-
tony, born in 251, and wlio
was the founder of solitary
monastic life. The first
Father who withdrew the
monks from their separate
cells and assembled them
into one monastery was St. Pachomius, about the year
325. In a similar manner the sister of St. Antony estab-
lished a convent for the virgins. Monastic life, founded
as it was upon the three vows of poverty, chastity, and
obedience, grew and flourished in the East, under the
guidance of such great and holy men as St. Basil of Caesa-
rea and others, who cherished and cultivated this fair
young plant with extreme tenderness and skill.
In the West, monasticism honors as its father and patri-
arch the great St. Benedict. Here too the religious life
grew and developed in a variety of forms, spreading over
St. Antony.
HISTORY OF MOl^fASTIC LIFE IN GENERAL. 159
all the earth, so that to-day, in spite of persecution and
confiscation, countless monasteries and convents exist in
every quarter of the globe, with more than two hundred
thousand religious of both sexes.
Among the numerous orders instituted in the West, and
which, with the exception of the spiritual knights, still
St. Dominick. St. Francis. St. Alphonsug. St. Benedict. St. Ignatius.
The Founders of the Five Religious Orders.
live and persevere in the active pursuit of their respective
vocations, the Benedictines, Augustinians, Franciscans,
Dominicans, Jesuits, Eedemptorists, and otlier male and
female orders established for education, for the care of the
poor, sick, and orphans, deserve our attention.
'II
|i
160 CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
47. History of the Benedictines.
*' The manifold wisdom and glory of God may be made known
to all the principalities and powers through the Church."— Ephesi-
ANsiii. 10.
St. Benedict of Nursia was the founder of the Bene-
dictine order, and the patriarch of the monks of the West.
Born in the year 480, he attended the public schools in
Kome, and in early life conceived a horror for the world
and its excesses. He therefore retired into the solitude of
.^-^^.^
St. Benedict Destroys the Idols on Monte Casino.
Subiaco, where he led the life of a hermit. The fame of
his sanctity spread far and wide, so that the monks of
Vieovaro chose him for their abbot. But his rigorous dis-
cipline soon displeased a small portion of these monks, and
they concocted a plan to poison him. But Benedict, ac-
cording to custom, having made the sign of the cross over
the proffered wine before tasting, the vessel burst in pieces,
and the wicked men acknowledged their guilty design and
HISTORY OF THE BENEDICTINES.
161
repented. The saint forgave them, but returned to Subi-
aco, where he soon gathered about him a multitude of dis-
ciples. From this place he went to Monte Casino, where
he founded the mother-house of his order, and compiled
that renowned rule of monastic life in which Christian
rigor is mingled with paternal mildness, zeal for the glory
of God combined with tender solicitude for the welfare of
our neighbor, and profound wisdom of life tempered with
child-like simplicity. When this holy man of God felt
his end approaching, he asked to be carried into the church
Monks at Work.
for the reception of the last sacraments, took an affecting
farewell of his disciples, prayed with clasped hands, and
died while in a standing position, leaning on the arm of a
monk, on the 21st of March, 543.
But his work, the glorious Benedictine order, contin-
ued to live through all successive ages. Its humble and
indefatigable monks became, in the hand of God, the
chosen instruments who rebuilt Europe upon the ruins
which the barbarous invaders from the North had spread
r
I
s
160 CHRIST IN Ills ClIUllCH.
47. History of the Benedictines.
*• The manifold wisdom and glory of God may be made known
to all the principalities and powers through the Church."— Epuesi-
ANS ill. 10.
St. Benedict of Niirsia was the founder of the Bene-
dictine order, and the patriarch of the monks of the West.
Born in the year 480, he attended the public schools in
Rome, and in early life conceived a horror for the world
and its excesses. He therefore retired into the solitude of
St. Benedict Destroys the Idols on Monte Casino.
Siibiaco, where he led the life of a hermit. The fame of
his sanctity spread far and wide, so that the monks of
Vieovaro chose him for their abbot. But his rigorous dis-
cipline soon displeased a small portion of these monks, and
they concocted a plan to poison him. But Benedict, ac-
cording to custom, having made the sign of the cross over
the proffered Avine before tasting, the vessel burst in pieces,
and the wicked men acknowledged their guilty design and
HISTORY OF THE BENEDICTINES.
161
repented. The saint forgave them, but returned to Subi-
aco, where he soon gathered about him a multitude of dis-
ciples. From this place he went to Monte Casino, where
he founded the mother-house of his order, and compiled
that renowned rule of monastic life in which Christian
rigor is mingled with paternal mildness, zeal for the glory
of God combined with tender solicitude for the welfare of
our neighbor, and profound wisdom of life tempered with
child-like simplicity. When this holy man of God felt
bis end approaching, he asked to be carried into the church
Monks at Work.
for the reception of the last sacraments, took an affecting
farewell of his disciples, prayed with clasped hands, and
died while in a standing position, leaning on the arm of a
monk, on the 21st of March, /)43.
But his work, the glorious Benedictine order, contin-
ued to live through all successive ages. Its humble and
indefatigable monks became, in the hand of God, the
chosen instruments who rebuilt Europe upon the ruins
which the barbarous invaders from the North had spread
162
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
\
around on all sides. They effected this work successfully
by science, education, and industry. The Benedictine
monk had preserved in his cell the treasures of pagan wis-
dom and the sacred learning of Christian antiquity. It
was to the Benedictine monk that the citizen, the knight,
and the prince intrusted their sons for education of mind
and heart. It was Benedictine monks who cleared the
primeval forests of Europe, dug canals, laid out roads,
built bridges, and transformed barren solitudes into
blooming gardens. Their monasteries became the begin-
nings of flourishing settlements^ the nucleus of prosperous
and wealthy cities ; so that they contradicted the offc-
repeated assertion, that religion and piety are useless and
of no avail, even to the earthly welfare of nations. Hence
these monks commanded the respect of the people, who
loved them as fathers, while kings and princes honored
them for their prudent counsels and great learning.
Owing to their own industry and the liberality of a grate-
ful people, their possessions grew to vast proportions and
became of enormous value. This order has had thirty-
seven thousand monasteries or institutions, out of which
have come forth, during the course of centuries, twenty-
four Popes, and fifty thousand canonized saints.
48. History of the Crusades.
* God forbid that 1 should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ." — Galatians vi. 14.
In the Benedictine order our divine Redeemer mani-
fests himself as sanctifier of the works of peace, while in
the military orders we recognize him as animating the
heroes of war with supernatural life, and as conferring
blessings even on the sanguinary profession of arms.
These remarkable orders owed their beginnings partly,
and their confirmation, permanent establishment, and
HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES.
163
wide extensive growth wholly and specially to the Cru-
sades. There were six holy wars prosecuted by the Chris-
tians from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries, and
directed against the Saracens in the East. These Cru-
sades were undertaken, first, with a view of protecting
the devout Christian pilgrims who were in the habit of
frequenting the venerable places where our Saviour had
hved, taught, suffered, and triumphed, from the fury
and avarice of the heathens; and secondly, with a view
to get possession of the Holy Land itself, and annex it to
Christendom ; and thirdly, to break down the power of
the Crescent,* and to elevate the Cross in triumph and
victory in Palestine.
We behold kings, emperors, and brave heroes of every
degree taking the lead in these Crusades, two of whom in
particular, and whose names are inseparably connected
with these holy wars, deserve our special attention. These
are St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in 1153, and St. Louis IX.,
King of France.
The holy monk of Clairvaux traversed Germany and
* The Crescent, or half-moon, is the standard of Mohamme-
danism.
The first Crusade was preached by Peter the Hermit, and was
led by Godfrey de Bouillon, in 1099, during the pontificate of Pope
Urban IL
The second Crusade, from a.d. 1147 to 1149, was preached by
St. Bernard, and was prosecuted chiefly by the German emperor
Conrad III. , and by the French king, Louis VII.
The third Crusade was jointly led by the Emperor Frederic Bar-
barossa, Kmg Philip Augustus of France, and Richard the Lion-
hearted of England, from 1189 to 1192.
The fourth Crusade took place under Baldwin of Flanders and
Boniface of Montserrat, in 1204, during the reign of Pope Inno-
cent IIL
The fifth Crusade, under the Emperor Frederic TI., lasted from
1219 to 1229.
The sixth and seventh Crusades were conducted by St. Louis IX.,
King of France, respectively in 1248 and 1270.
n.
164
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES.
165
I •*
France, preaching the Crusades. He proclaimed, in glow-
ing and eloquent language, the duty of Christendom to
save from dishonor by the unbelievers, the land of our
Redemption ; and to sacrifice for the attainment of this
grand design, power, money, blood, and life. The words
of the man of God penetrated like fiery arrows the hearts
of all. *'God wills it," shouted the multitude; and
kings and noble knights, and the people from city and
country pressed in eager throngs about the inspired
St. Bernard preaching the Crusades.
preacher, to receive the cross from his own hands, and
thus enroll themselves in the grand army of the cross of
Christ. But neither this first Crusade, nor the several suc-
cessive ones, effected the end proposed or the wished-for
result. Jerusalem, although captured by the Christians
in July, 1099, and transformed into a Catholic kingdom,
fell asfain into the hands of the infidels ; and in May, 1291,
Ptoleraaeus, the last stronghold of the Christians in Pales-
tine w^as wrested from their hands by the Mohammedans.
The want of success in these wars was attributed partly to
the treachery of the Greeks, partly to the disloyalty of
some of the Crusaders themselves, but chiefly to the many
abuses and scandalous excesses which crept into the prose-
cution even of this sacred cause. King Louis of France
became the innocent victim of atonement for the sins of
the less sincere Crusaders. This pious prince, though he
had organized and sent out a Crusade in 1248, undertook
in 1270, when quite advanced in years, another expedition
in which he intended to give battle to the Saracens in
Tunis. But a dreadful pestilence broke out in the ranks
of the army, and attacked the king himself in its most
malignant form. Amid this calamity, the king displayed
the magnanimity of a true Christian hero, not permitting
one word of complaint to fall from his lips. '' Grant, 0
Lord," he prayed constantly, "that we may learn to
despise worldly success and to embrace cheerfully the
trials sent to us by heaven." When the priest was reach-
I ing to him the Body of the Lord, the face of the dying
king lit up with holy rapture, and he exclaimed: "I am
going into thy house, 0 Lord. In thy own holy temple I
shall adore thee and rejoice in thy blessed name." Hav-
ing uttered these words, he fell asleep in the Lord, on the
25th of August, 1270.
Although the Crusades did not accomplish the great
object intended, yet they became, in the hands of God,
the means of much good. The increased liberty and
improvement of the middle classes, the founding of new
states and governments, great advancement in the several
departments of knowledge, an unprecedented extension
of European commerce, were some of the results of the
Crusades. But the most precious fruit of all, was that
interior awakening of the soul towards Christ and his
kingdom, which during those two centuries took perma-
nent hold on Christians and their leaders ; familiarizing
the nobility and the multitude with the history of Christ,
(
1
in
11
I A; t
164
CHRIST IN mii CHURCH.
France, preaching the Crusades. He proclaimed, in glow-
ing and eloquent language, the duty of Christendom to
save from dishonor by the unbelievers, the land of our
Redemption ; and to sacrifice for the attainment of this
grand design, power, money, blood, and life. The words
of the man of God penetrated like fiery arrows the hearts
of all. "God wills it," shouted the multitude; and
kings and noble knights, and the people from city and
country pressed in eager throngs about the inspired
St. Bernard preaching the Crusades.
preacher, to receive the cross from his own hands, and
thus enroll themselves in the grand army of the cross of
Christ. But neither this first Crusade, nor the several suc-
cessive ones, effected the end proposed or the wished-for
result. Jerusalem, although ca])tured by the Christians
in July, 1099, and transformed into a Catholic kingdom,
fell as^ain into the hands of the infidels ; and in May, 1291,
Ptolemaeus, the last stronghold of the Christians in Pales-
tine was wrested from their hands by the Mohammedans.
HISTORY OJF THE CRUSADES.
165
The want of success in these wars was attributed partly to
the treachery of the Greeks, partly to the disloyalty of
some of the Crusaders themselves, but chiefly to the many
abuses and scandalous excesses which crept into the prose-
cution even of this sacred cause. King Louis of France
became the innocent victim of atonement for the sins of
the less sincere Crusaders. This pious prince, though he
had organized and sent out a Crusade in 1248, undertook
in 1270, when quite advanced in years, another expedition
in which he intended to give battle to the Saracens in
Tunis. But a dreadful pestilence broke out in the ranks
of the army, and attacked the king himself in its most
malignant form. Amid this calamity, the king displayed
the magnanimity of a true Christian hero, not permitting
one word of complaint to fall from his lips. " Grant, 0
Lord," he prayed constantly, "that we may learn to
despise worldly success and to embrace cheerfully the
trials sent to us by heaven." When the priest was reach-
ing to him the Body of the Lord, the face of the dying
king lit up with holy rapture, and he exclaimed: "I am
going into thy house, 0 Lord. In thy own holy temple I
shall adore thee and rejoice in thy blessed name." Hav-
ing uttered these words, he fell asleep in the Lord, on the
25th of August, 1270.
Although the Crusades did not accomplish the gi^eat
object intended, yet they became, in the hands of God,
the means of much good. The increased liberty and
improvement of the middle classes, the founding of new
states and governments, great advancement in the several
departments of knowledge, an unprecedented extension
of European commerce, were some of the results of the
Crusades. But the most precious fruit of all, was that
interior awakening of the soul towards Christ and his
kingdom, which during those two centuries took perma-
nent hold on Christians and their leaders ; familiarizing
the nobility and the multitude with the history of Christ,
1
166
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
elevating and refining all classes, and giving birth to
the three great religious orders of knighthood in the
Church.
The glorious spirit which animated these " monks in
armor," maybe best understood by means of the questions
put to each candidate at the time of his admission to the
brotherhood: " Do you solemnly promise, beloved brother,
in the name of God and the Blessed Virgin, to practice
faithfully a life-long obedience to each of your superiors ?
Do you solemnly promise, in the name of God and his
Virgin Mother Mary, perpetual celibacy and perfect
purity of soul and body? Do you solemnly pledge your-
self to renounce forever all your worldly goods, and to
serve the Order in poverty and submission, and to risk
your life for the deliverance of the Holy Land? As you
promise each and all of these things, we receive you into
the holy brotherhood, and promise you bread and water,
the simple garb of our monastery, and labor and trials in
abundance."
The first of these Orders, in point of time, were the
Knights of St. John, afterwards termed the Knights of
Rhodes, or of Malta. These owed their origin to some
Italian traders, who in the year 1048 founded at Jerusa-
lem a hospital for the use of sick pilgrims. During the
Crusades, this hospital obtained numerous endowments and
privileges, and many knights requested admission to the
community in charge of the institution. Finally, in the
year 1120, this Order became, under the lead of its head,
Raymond of Puy, an Order of knights, having for their
main object the overthrow of the Saracens. Afterwards,
when Palestine was wrested from the hands of the Chris-
tians, these Knight-Hospitallers moved their headquarters
to the island of Cyprus, thence to Rhodes, and again, in
1530, to Malta. The Order diffused itself over all Europe,
and its members acquired undying fame for the faithful
and efficient services that they rendered in the wars
HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES.
167
against the Turks and the Corsairs from Tunis, Tripoli,
and Algiers.
The Order of Knight-Templars was founded by Hugh
of Paganis in the year 1118, at Jerusalem ; in wliich city
they had their chief monastery, in the immediate vicinity
of the so-called Solomon's Temple. They soon became
the most dreaded enemies of the infidels. After the close
of the Crusades, the chief houses of their Order were in
France, where it owned large possessions. Their wealth
aroused the avarice of the unprincipled king of that coun-
try, Louis the Fair, who put into circulation the most
shocking reports against the character of the Templars,
and at last succeeded, in 1312, in compelling Pope Clem-
ent v., whom he held in his power at Avignon, to pro-
claim the suppression of the Order.
The origin of the German Order was very similar to
those of the two just described. It took its rise, about
the year 1190, from a certain hospital called 'Uhe German
House of our Blessed Lady at Jerusalem." After their
return from the East, the members of this German knight-
hood were sent against the pagan Prussians, whose forces
they conquered. These martial monks displayed so much
judgment, and worked with such diligence, that this hith-
erto heathen people were brought into the fold of Christ.
In the year 1525, Count Albert of Brandenburg, Grand
Master of the Order, proved untrue to his brotherhood and
to tlie Catholic religion, and converted the lands of the
Order, in Prussia, into a civic province. However, the
rest of the communities in other German countries con-
tinued loyal to the Church and the emperor, rendering
invaluable services in the wars of the Reformation and
against the Turks.
r
1
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
)
49. The History of the Franciscans.
CAPUCINS.
"Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will
refresh you. Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of
heart." — Matthew xi. 28, 29.
As the motto of the foregoing Orders was ** Chris-
tian Warrior," and their aim Christian courage and
chivalric self-sacrifice on the field of battle, so in the
Order founded by St. Francis of Assisi, in the year 121^,
the predominant traits were Christian humility and quiet
self-sacrifice. The fondness entertained for sports and
tournaments in his youth by this man of God, suddenly
gaTe place to the most perfect contempt for things of
earth, and was replaced by an ardent zeal for the glory of
God's kingdom. Having given all his possessions to the
poor, he was disinherited by his father, and looked upon
by the world as a fanatic. He, however, took refuge in a
half-ruined church, called ''Our Lady of Angels," which
had been placed at his disposal by a Benedictine abbot.
This edifice he restored by means of the alms contributed
by generous admirers, calling it his little Legacy {Porti-
uncula). His severe spirit of penance, joined with a child-
like cheerfulness and humble disposition of mind, attracted
many companions about him, with whom he made pil-
grimages through the country, preaching penance, not
indeed by sublime and learned eloquence, but in plain and
simple language, intelligible to the least cultivated minds
and hearts.
But their most effective sermon was the example of
their holy poverty and self-denial. Although the indi-
vidual members of the old Benedictine order were re-
quired to observe strict poverty, yet their monasteries, as
such, were permitted to own money and lands. But this
last privilege was denied even to his monasteries by St.
HISTORY OF THE FRANCISCANS.
169
Francis. The communities were to live on the daily alms
of the faithful people, the monasteries should possess no
wealth, and all over above their wants was to be given to
the poor.
This severe voluntary poverty was to be the foundation-
stone of the Order. St. Francis called it the '* Bride of
Christ," the source and foundation, the very queen, of all
other virtues.
His rule of life was approved by Pope Honorius in
Death of St. Francis of Assist
1223. When the holy Founder died, only three years
later, the members of his Order could be counted by thou-
sands. Our divine Lord, in order to give supernatural
proof before all men that he still lived in his saints and in
their establishments, but more especially in St. Francis,
was pleased to imprint in a most miraculous manner the
marks of his five wounds in the hands, feet, and side of
the Saint, about two years before his death.
Thirty-eight years after his death, the Order possessed
')
I
1*>8 CHRIST IN HIS CHUKCH.
49. The History of the Franciscans.
CAPUCINS.
*'Come to mc, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will
refresh you. Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of
heart." — Matthew xi. 28, 29.
As the motto of the foregoing Orders was "Chris-
tian Warrior," and their aim Christian courage and
ehivah'ic self-sacrifice on the field of battle, so in the
Order founded by St. Francis of Assisi, in the year 121^,
the predominant traits were Christian humility and quiet
self-sacrifice. The fondness entertained for sports and
tournaments in his youth by this man of God, suddenly
gave place to the most perfect contempt lor things of
earth, and was replaced by an ardent zeal for the glory of
God's kingdom. Having given all his possessions to the
poor, he was disinherited by his father, and looked upon
by the world as a fanatic. He, however, took refuge in a
half-ruined church, called "Our Lady of Angels," which
had been placed at his disposal by a Benedictine abbot.
This edifice he restored by means of the alms contributed
by generous admirers, calling it his little Legacy (Porti-
uncula). His severe spirit of penance, joined with a child-
like cheerfulness and humble disposition of mind, attracted
many companions about him, with whom he made pil-
grimages through the country, preaching penance, not
indeed by sublime and learned eloquence, but in plain and
simple language, intelligible to the least cultivated minds
and hearts.
But their most effective sermon was the example of
their holy poverty and self-denial. Although the indi-
vidual members of the old Benedictine order were re-
quired to observe strict poverty, yet their monasteries, as
such, were permitted to own money and lands. But this
last privilege was denied even to his monasteries by St.
HISTORY OF THE FRANCISCANS.
169
Francis. The communities were to live on the daily alms
of the faithful people, the monasteries should possess no
wealth, and all over above their wants was to be given to
the poor.
Tliis severe voluntary poverty was to be the foundation-
stone of the Order. St. Francis called it the '' Bride of
Christ," the source and foundation, the very queen, of all
other virtues.
His rule of life was approved by Pope Honorius in
I>eath of St Francis of Assist
1233. When the holy Founder died, only three years
later, the members of his Order could be counted by thou-
sands. Our divine Lord, in order to give supernatural
proof before all men that lie still lived in his saints and in
their establishments, but more especially in St. Francis,
was pleased to imprint in a most miraculous manner the
murks of his five wounds in the hands, leet, and side of
the Saint, about two years before his death.
Thirty-eight years after his death, the Order possessed
• If
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170
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
nearly eight thousand monasteries, with two hundred thou-
sand members. On account of the excessive charity of
their founder, they were called the Seraphic Brethren, and
on account of their humility, the Little Brethren, or the
Friars Minor. Soon many pious virgins, under the direc-
tion of St. Clare, subjected themselves to the rule of St.
Francis, and were known by different names in different
localities. Moreover, in course of time, another branch
was established for persons who, though living in the
world, followed the rule, and put themselves under the
direction of the Franciscans. These are called **The
Third Order."
Among the spiritual sons of St. Francis many were
distinguished for their learning and piety. For example,
the renowned miracle- worker, St. Antony of Padua, who
died in 1231; the profoundly learned Alexander of Hales,
who died in 1245; the seraphic doctor, St. Bomiventure,
who died in 1274; the intellectual Roger Bacon, who died
in 1292; and John Duns Scotus, the celebrated defender
of the mystery of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. He died in the year 1308.
As in the course of time, the spirit of the world in-
vaded some monasteries of this Order, bringing with it a
relaxation of ancient discipline, several new branches were
formed by holy persons, who made it the object of their
lives to preserve sacredly the spirit of St. Francis in its
original purity and severity. The most important of these
branches was the society of the Capuchins, founded about
the year 1526 by Matthew Bassi. The untiring activity
of these truly apostolic friars, and their close observance
of rule, have secured to their branch of the Franciscan
Order great prosperity, and made it an object of the affec-
tion and admiration of all good men.
HISTORY OF THE DOMINICANS.
171
50. History of the Dominicans, or the Order of
Preachers.
''The word of God is linng and effectual, aud more piercing
than any two-edged sword: and reaching unto the soul and is a
discernerof the thoughts and intents of the heart/'— Hebrews i v.
13.
Our Blessed Lord has in every instance assigned to
each Order, at the time of its origin, its own special mis-
sion. Thus it became the duty and happy privilege of
the Beuedictines to rescue Europe from the destruction
threatened and partly effected by the incursions of the
barbarous Northmen. The Orders of knighthood were
established to save Europe from the inroads of the Sara-
cens ; the Franciscans were chosen to kindle among the
people the seraphic fires of divine love ; and the Domini-
cans were sent to keep alive and burning, amid the im-
pending darkness of error in the middle ages, the light
of divine faith.
Just about 1170, the year in which St. Dominic was
born in Spain, the Albigensian heretics were afflicting the
Church of God in that country, in England, Germany,
Italy, and especially in the south of France. St. Dominic
having received holy orders, and animated with a burning
zeal aud earnest enthusiasm for the purity of the faith in
the Church, traversed all the districts affected by the
heresy, and preached in defence of the true faith. AYorthy
and zealous men soon joined him, and the results of their
preaching were marvellous. The devotion of the holy
Rosary, which St. Dominic always combined with his ser-
mons, imparted a wonderful efficacy to his words. And
thus was established the Order of Preachers, otherwise
called, after their founder, Dominicans. Their rule was
approved and confirmed by Pope Honorius simultaneously
with the approval of the Franciscan Order. Like these
\
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172
CIIKIST IX HIS CUUKCH.
latter, the Dominicans soon established a female branch,
and also a Third Order, of persons living in the world.
St. Dominic died on the 4th of August, 1221, five years
earlier than his beloved friend St. Francis. His Order
continued to be a pillar and bulwark of strength in the
Church. To it Ihe Church is indebted for one of the
greatest and profoundest 0f hmt modern doctors, the
grand-master of the schools, St. Thomas Aquinas, who
died in 1274 ; and also for the holy Albertus Magnus, who
was completely conversant with every branch of human
knowledge, and who died in the year 1280. The members
of this Order Avere usually intrusted by the Popes with
the care of the Inquisition ; that is, with tlie important
duty of seriously and attentively watching over the faith
of the Church, lest the germs ot error should take root in
some regions, spring Tip and produce unhappy fruits of
dissent, and disunion, and loss of souls. This was the
ecclesiastical Inquisition, and is in no way to be con-
founded with the Spanish Inquisition, which was chiefly
a political institution, and used more for political than
religious purposes, and against the excesses of >vhich the
Popes fre<4uently -protested.
51. The Jesuits.
**If the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated me before
you. Rememlier my word. If they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you."-^OHN xv. 18 and 20.
As the Church was called upon, in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries, to combat the errors of the Albi
genses, she was again, in the sixteenth century, obliged
to enter the lists of spiritual warfare against tlio hosts of
so-called reformers. But as in the first instance Christ
proved himself, througli the person of St. Dominic, to be
still living in the Church, so will he now show that he yet
HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
173
abides in his Church, and Ignatius and his companions
will furnish ample proof of this truth.
The much-abused, cordially-detested, and severely-per-
secuted order of Jesuits was founded in 1535, and its
constitution was confirmed by Pope Paul III. in 1540.
It had for its original object missionary work among the
heathens, and among those Christians who had been
blinded and led astray by error. To this worthy o]>ject
was afterwards added that of educating youth. St.
Ignatius, born in 1-491 in the Spanish castle'of Loyola!
abandoned in 1522, at the age of thirty-one, tlie army of
the world to enroll himself among the soldiers of the cross,
and soon after established his glorious and world-renowned
Order of the ^'Society of Jesus ;" with his chosen friends,
Francis Xavier, Peter Lefevre, James Lainez, Alphonsus
Salmeron, Nicholas Bobadilla, and Alphonsus Kodriguez
as his first companions. To this order of Jesuits, the
Catholic countries of Europe, especially Southern Ger-
many, are indebted for their preservation or deliverance
from the errors and miseries of Protestantism. The
whole Catholic world has to thank this Order for tlieir
greatest missionaries ; the educated classes of Europe for
their most learned professors ; the Church recognizes its
members as her stoutest and ablest defenders, and count-
less sinners owe to them their salvation ; 'i)ious souls
regard them as their surest and most enlightened guides
on the road to Christian perfection. St. Ignatius dtod on
the 31st of July, 155G.
If we inquire by what magicid means the Fathers of tlia
Society of Jesus effected such wonders, we will learn that
there are three principal agencies:
1. A rigorous and unrestricted obedience to all ecclesi-
astical superiors, in all that is not sinful. The most
obedient of obedient religious also exacts implicit obedi-
ence from those under his charge.
2. The long and thorough course of studies pursued
I
174
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
by the Jesuits, The true disciple of St. Ignatius con-
siders a course of studies consuming twenty years as
barely long enough to fit him for a successful active life ;
and if he spend but ten or even five years in actual ser-
vice, he deems it better and more profitable, and hopes to
gather more abundant and precious fruit, than if he
labored for forty years mik n mind and soul only imper-
fectly prepared for the work.
3. The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. While the
founder of the Jesuits was preiiaring himself in solitude in
the cave at Manresa, for the grand and difficult work of
founding an Order, the divine Spirit supplied him with a
most efficient means of success in the "Spiritual Exer-
cises." The Christian who avails himself of this great
work, spends several days in a well-ordered meditation on
eternal truths, alternated with prayer and spiritual read-
ing; learning thus to amend his mode of spiritual life,
and advancing by a judicious, skilful, and very attractive
gradation of interioi' improvement, and a cleansing and
enlightenment of soul, to a most intimate and permanent
union with God. The application of tfep truly heavenly
means to their own lives and to the lives of others, has
secured to the Jesuits that extraordinary power over the
minds of men, which has filled the envious hearts of the
enemies of God and of his Church with absurd concern
and burning hate.
These enemies did succeed, through the combined
influence ^ tli® Wngs of Portugal, Spain, Naples, and
France, in inducing Pope Clement XIV., not indeed to
condemn, but to suppress this Order in 1773. It was
re-established in 1814 by Pope Pius VII., who restored to
it all its ancients rights and privileges.
THE KEDEMP'KJKISTS.
175
52. The Redemptorists.
"The Spirit of tlie Lord is upon me, wlierefore he hath
anointed me, to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me, to
heal the contrive of heart." — Luke iv. 18.
St. Alphonsus Mary Liguori was the founder of the
Society of the Most Holy Redeemer, sometimes called the
Liguorians, but generally known as the Eedemptorists.
He began to form his Society at Naples in 1732, but it was
not until 1759, twenty-seven years later, that Pope Benedict
XIV. confirmed its constitution. As it had been for many
long years the freely and cheerfully self-imposed duty of
Alphonsus to go in search of poor neglected persons, in
order to afford them relief both for soul and body, so too
it was his ardent desire that his disciples should serve as
''missionaries for the poorest and most neglected sheep"
of Christ's flock. He was compelled, much against his
will, to accept in 1762 the episcopal chair of St. Agatha
of the Goths. He still continued to live in closest com-
munion with his Society, acting as theii' chief director and
adviser. He enriched the Church with copious, profound,
and edifying writings, and died on the 1st of August,
1787, at the advanced age of ninety-one 3iears. The mem-
bers of his Congregation spread throughout Europe; preach-
ing in Poland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, and
in America; everywhere rendering incalculable service to
our holy Church, by their arduous and well-attended mis-
sions, by defending ably and valiantly the morality of
Jesus Christ, by encouraging and strengthening myriads
of flocks, and even their pastors, in zeal and piety, as well
as by training young men for the sublime work of the
ministry.
I
176
CHRIST IN HI8 CHUKCH.
53. History of the Religious Bodies dedicated to
Schools, or to the Care of the Sick and Destitute.
•Mesus saith: Suffer the little cblWren to come unto me. And
embracing them, and laying his hands upon them, he blessed
them."— Mark x. 14 and 16.
Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, during his
brief sojourn on earth, always manifested his infinite per-
I Christian Charity.
fection and holiness, not only by his zeal for the honor of
his heavenly Father, but also by his unbounded mercy and
love towards poor and needy men. This same holiness
of Jesus Christ is still made practically manifest in the
Church, and especially in the religious lile; not only by
the mere dedication to God, but also in the compassion-
ate devotion, for God's sake, to humanity and its earthly
HISTORY OF THE TEACHING ORDEKS, ETC. 177
wants. This devotion is the source and origin of all
those numerous male and female Orders who consecrate
themselves to the instruction of the people, and to the
care of orphans, the sick, and the poor.
Both of these works, namely, the Christian education
of youth and the care of the poor, have ever been cherished
duties dear to the heart of the Church. And our holy
mother looks on with deep anguish of soul, as she sees the
politicians of the present day tearing the young and the
poor away from her motherly protection, and by means of
tax-schools and political poor-houses, making a pretence
to discharge duties which she alone is entitled to dis-
charge, and which for centuries she has discharged, en-
lightened as she was by the wisdom of Christ, and filled
with his holy and disinterested charity. The enemies of
the Church know well what they are doing. They would
sever education and the care of the poor from the Church,
in the hope of dragging her into contempt with the peo-
ple; they would point at her the finger of scorn, and say
to the unthinking masses: '' See how idle, slow, and useless
to society your Church is." But when this measure of
folly, that is now filling up from day to day, shall have
reached the brim and begins to overflow; when once those
children who are now being taught learning devoid of re-
ligion, shall have grown to manhood and womanhood, and
shall give evidence of their lack of principle, of all belief
in God, of honesty, justice, of submission to God's will;
when, believing as they have been taught to believe, that
success in life is to be the great aim of their efforts, the
disastrous system of godless education shall have borne its
legitimate fruits. Already we see social disorder, finan-
cial distress and confusion, absence of confidence between
man and man, poverty and suffering among the lowly,
mental agony among the wealthy, all because each man
knows that his neighbor is striving, regardless of religion,
to become richer than he. Even the poor, wlio from time
I
176
CHRIST 1^' Ills CHUKCH.
53. History of the Religious Bodies dedicated to
Schools, or to the Care of the Sick and Destitute.
"Jesus saith: Suffer the little children to come unto me. And
embracing them, and laying his hands upon them, he blessed
them." — Mark x. 14 and 16.
Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, during bis
brief sojourn on earth, always manifested bis infinite per-
Christian Charity.
fection and holiness, not only by his zeal for the honor of
his heavenly Fatlier, but also by his unbounded mercy and
love towards ]>oor and needy men. This same holiness
of Jesus Christ is still made practically manifest in the
Chiifchy and especiallj in the religious lile; not only by
the mere dedication to God, but also in the compassion-
ate devotion, for God's sake, to humanity and its earthly
HISTORY OF THE TEACHING 0KDEK8, ETC. 177
wants. This devotion is the source and origin of all
those numerous male and female Orders who consecrate
themselves to the instruction of the people, and to the
care of orphans, the sick, and the poor.
Both of these works, namely, the Christian education
of youth and the care of the poor, have ever been cherished
duties dear to the heart of the Church. And our holy
mother looks on with deep anguish of soul, as she sees the
politicians of the present day tearing the young and the
poor away from her motherly protection, and by means of
tax-schools and political poor-liouses, making a pretence
to discharge duties which she alone is entitled to dis-
charge, and which for centuries she has discharged, en-
lightened as she was by the wisdom of Christ, and filled
with his holy and disinterested charity. The enemies of
the Church know well what they are doing. They would
sever education and the care of the poor from the Church,
in the hope of dragging her into contempt with the peo-
ple; they would point at her the finger of scorn, and say
to the unthinking masses: '' See how idle, slow, and useless
to society your Church is." But when this measure of
folly, that is now filling up from day to day, shall have
reached the brim and begins to overflow; Avhen once those
children who are now being taught learning devoid of re-
ligion, shall have grown to manhood and womanhood, and
shall give evidence of their lack of principle, of all belief
in God, of honesty. Justice, of submission to God's will;
wlien, believing as they have been taught to believe, that
success in life is to be the great aim of their efforts, the
disastrous system of godless education shall have borne its
legitinuite fruits. Already we see social disorder, finan-
cial distress and confusion, absence of confidence between
man and man, poverty and suffering among the lowly,
mental agony among the wealthy, all because each man
knows that his neighbor is striving, regardless of religion,
to become richer than he. Even the pooi-, who from time
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CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
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I
I
immemorial were content to *receive the yoluntary offer-
ings of the Church, now begin to understand that the
present system of aiding them is altogether a political
machine. They claim a right to be supported from the
abundance of taxes extorted from the industrial classes,
and as taxes are increased for the support of the poor, the
industrious are thus made poor themselves, and soon be-
gin to demand that they shall have a share in what they
have already paid to the tax-gatherer. Thus pauperism is
frightfully on the increase, and becoming every day more
odious and intolerable. The charge of assisting God's poor
was delivered to God's Cliurch, and not to salaried poli-
ticians. The time must certainlv come when tliouffhtful
men will discover these evils that are undermining society,
and will be glad to have recourse to the wisdom, and ex-
perience, and supernatural excellence of the Church; be-
seeching her to bring the power of the Gospel and of the
Sacraments to the restoration of contentment among all
classes, and to the re-establishment of security in tlie very
important affairs of life and property.
As already stated, both the cliildren and the poor were
placed by Christ and his Apostles under the guardianship
of the Church. During centuries, she took unexception-
ably good care of both. Her free schools bear witness to
her fidelity towards her children. In remote antiquity
and in the middle ages, these schools were to be found in
the palaces of her bishops, in the halls of her liallowed
cloisters, and even under the roofs of her humble but
learned country parish-priests. Hence a learned Protes-
tant historian, Raumer, asserts that ** the merit of estab-
lishing and maintaining schools in the dark ages belongs
exclusively to the priests and other ecclesiastics."
The Church never neglected the needy. All through
the first ages of Christianity and in mediaeval times, she
kept her voice raised in behalf of God's poor. Decrees of
Popes and Councils, mandates of bishops and other eccle-
UISTORV OF THE TEACHING ORDERS, ETC. 179
siastical authorities, have 'constantly warned those in
charge of souls, that the revenue of the churches were the
property of the poor and the infirm, of the widow and the
orphan. Bishops were required to exercise in their dio-
ceses a very special solicitude for the helpless and desti-
tute; the pastors of souls were also required to know the
poor in their parishes, and to take measures for their re-
lief; using for that purpose the revenues of the Church
and the special offerings of the benevolent. In fact it was
Christian Schools.
a general law of the Church, and a law in most part scru-
pulously observed, that the Church revenues were to be
divided into three parts: one third to be used for the
decent support of the clergy, one third for the keeping of
the Church and the maintenance of religious worship, and
one third invariably for the poor. Thus we see that at all
times and in all circumstances the Catholic Church has
devoted her time and attention, all her energies, and
178
CHRIST IN Ills CHURCH.
immemorial were content to 'receive the voluntary offer-
ings of the Church, now begin to understand that the
present system of aiding them is altogetlier a political
machine. They claim a right to be supported from the
abundance of taxes extorted from the industrial classes,
aad lis taxes are increased for the support of the poor, the
industrious are thus made poor themselves, and soon be-
gin to demand that they shall have a share in what they
liave already paid to the tax-gatherer. Thus pauperism is
frightfully on tlie increase, and becoming every day more
odious and intolerable. The charge of assisting God's ])oor
was delivered to God's Church, and not to sahiriod poli-
ticians. The time must certainlv come when tliouijhtful
men will discover these evils that are undermining society,
and will be glad to have recourse to the wisdom, and ex-
perience, and supernatural excellence of the Churcli; be-
seeching her to bring the ])ower of the Gospel and of the
Sacraments to the restoration of contentment among all
clavsses, and to the re-establishment of security in the very
imi)ortant affairs of life and proi)erty.
As already stated, both the children and the poor were
placed by Christ and his Apostles under the guardianshij)
of tlie Church, During centuries, she took unexeeption-
ably good care of both. Her free schools bear witness to
her fidelity towards her children. In remote antiquity
and in the middle ages, these schools were to be found in
the palaces of her bishops, In the halls of her hallowed
cloisters, and even niider the roofs of her humble but
learned country parish-priests. Hence a learned Protes-
tant historian, Raumer, asserts that " the merit of estab-
lishing and maintaining schools in the dark ages belongs
exclusively to the priests and other ecclesiastics."
The Church never neglected the needy. All through
the first ages of Christianity and in mediaeval times, she
kept her voice raised in behalf of God's poor. Decrees of
Popes and Councils, mandates of bishops and other eccle-
lilSTORY OF THE TEACIIIjyCi ORDERS, ETC. 179
siastical authorities, have 'constantly warned those in
charge of souls, that the revenue of the churches were the
property of the poor and the infirm, of the widow and the
orphan. Bishops were required to exercise in their dio-
ceses a very special solicitude for the helpless and desti-
tute; the pastors of souls were also re({uired to knoAv the
poor in their parishes, and to take measures for their re-
lief; using for that purpose the revenues of the Church
and the special offerings of the benevolent. In fact it was
Christian Schools.
a general law of the Church, and a law in most part scru-
pulously observed, that the Church revenues were to be
divided into three parts: one third to be used for the
decent support of the clergy, one third for the keeping of
the Church and the maintenance of religious worship, and
one third invariably for the poor. Thus we see that at all
times and in all circumstances the Catholic Church has
devoted her time and attention, all her energies, and
!
;
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180
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
much of her means in educating her children, and in com-
forting her poor.
Where could the Church iind safer hands in which to
place both her poor and her little children, than among
various religious associations of brothers and of sisters.
The members of these communities being free from family
cares and ties, from the distractions of the world, being
devoid of selfishness and regardless of worldly gain, hav-
ing their souls constantly invigorated by prayer and medi-
tation to renewed sacrifices, watched over and guided by
wise and experienced directors, animated by the examples
of fellow religious, devoted to Jesus Christ, and well versed
in all spiritual things and in all human weaknesses, it is
not possible that their efforts in doing good should prove
barren of the most gratifying results. It is next to impos-
sible that a pupil at school, a patient in a hospital, or a
poor person under the care of such devoted guardians,
should not be carefully and tenderly treated in these
veritable sanctuaries of the Church. Hence at every pe-
riod of the Church's existence, since the close of the pagan
persecutions, the religious Orders of monks and nuns have
sedulously and fondly devoted themselves to the support
and education both of the orphan child and the aged in-
valid. In modern times these self-sacrificing associations
have become almost innumerable.
To superintend the education of youth, St. Jerome
Emiliani founded, in 1528, the Congregation of the Clerks
Regular of Somascha; and St. Joseph Calasanctius, the
Society of the Piarists, or Fathers of the Pious Schools, in
1597. The Society of the Brothers of the Christian
Schools, was founded, at Rheims, in 1681, by the Vener-
able John Baptist De La Salle. The Marian brothers took
their rise in the diocese of Lyons in 1816. The Ursulines
were established in 1544 by St. Angela of Brescia. The
Visitation Nuns, by St. Francis of Chantal in the year
1610. Countless o|Ji©r orders in all countries and in all
I
HISTORY OF THE TEACHING ORDERS, ETC. 181
circumstances have been set on foot to meet the wants of
their respective localities and times. We may form some
notion, though an imperfect one, of the efiiciency of these
religious societies, by referring to France alone, which
counts more than sixteen thousand schools, containing
more than a million of children under the guidance and
tutorship of educational communities of monks and nuns.*
St. Vincent of Paul.
Of the many religious communities founded by holy
and benevolent persons for the protection and care of the
sick, the blind, the crippled, and the destitute members
of society, mention may simply be made of the Brothers
of Charity, established in the year 1540 by St. John of
God, and the Sisters of Charity established in France, in
* Since the above was written, many of the religious communities
have been banished by the Government, and many schools are thus
broken up. '
180
CHRIST IK HIS CHURCH.
much of her means in educating her children, and in com-
forting her poor.
Where could the Church tind safer hands in which to
place both her poor and her little children, than among
various religious associations of brothers and of sisters.
The members of these communities being free from family
cares and ties, from the distractions of the world, being
devoid III selfishness and regardless of worldly gain, hav-
ing their souls constantly invigorated by prayer and medi-
tation to renewed sacrifices, watched over and guided by
wise and experienced directors, animated l)y the examples
of fellow religious, devoted to Jesus Christ, and v/ell versed
in all spiritual things and in all human weaknesses, it is
not possible that their efforts in doing good should prove
barren of the most gratifying results. It is next to impos-
silile tliat a pupil at school, a patient in a hospital, or a
poor person under the care of such devoted guardians,
should not be carefully and tenderly treated in these
veritable sanctuaries of the Church. Hence at every pe-
riod of the Church's existence, since the close of the pagan
persecutions, the religions Orders of monks and nuns have
sedulously and fondly devoted themselves to the support
and education both of the orphan child and the aged in-
valid. In modern times these self-sacrificing associations
have become almost innumerable.
To superintend the education of youth, St. Jerome
Emiliani founded, in 1538, the Congregation of the Clerks
Kegular of Somascha; and St. Joseph Calasanctius, the
Society of the Piarists, or Fathers of the Pious Schools, in
1597. The Society of the Brothers of the Christian
Schools, was founded, at Rheims, in 1G81, by the Vener-
able John Baptist De La Salle. The Marian brothers took
their rise in the diocese of Lyons in 1816. The Ursulines
were established in 1544 by St. Angela of Brescia. The
Visitation Nuns, by St. Francis of Chantal in the year
1610. Countless other orders in all countries and in all
n HISTORY OF THE TEACHIiVG ORDERS, ETC. 181
circumstances have been set on foot to meet the wants of
their respective localities and times. We may form some
notion, though an imperfect one, of the efficiency of these
religious societies, by referring to France alone, which
counts more than sixteen thousand schools, containing
more than a million of children under the guidance and
tutorship of educational communities of monks and nuns.*
1
St. Vincent of Paul.
Of the many religious communities founded by holy
and benevolent i)ersons for the protection and care of the
sick, the blind, the crippled, and the destitute members
of society, mention may simply be made of the Brothers
of Charity, established in the year 1540 by St. John of
God, and the Sisters of Charity esta])lislied in France, in
* Since the above was written, many of the religious communities
have been banished by the Government, and many schools are thus
broken up.
' f
182
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
i!
1633, by St. Vincent of Paul. All the good accomplished
by these self-sacriticing religious orders since their estab-
lishment, is known only to God. Though men have seen
them at their incessant labors in hospitals, refuges, re-
formatories, and prisons; in the cabins of the poor and
the wretched, assuaging and alleviating pain and misery
and poverty, yet no one but God can fully estimate the
value and merit of their labors. We may approximate an
idea of their good works when we learn that in one coun-
try alone, Austria, the Brothers of Charity, during a sin-
gle year, received into their institutions, and treated gra-
tuitously, more than twenty-four thousand patients of all
religions and nationalities.
In America, as in the older nations of the Church, the
religious Orders have given every possible evidence of ful-
filling in their daily conduct the saying of the Apostle
Paul: ** This is the will of God, your sanctification" (1
Thessalonians iv. 3). ''If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell
what thou hast and give to the poor, and come, follow me'*
(Matthew xix. 21). The missionaries of the New World
distinguished themselves bv their zeal and self-sacrifice to
a degree little less than that of the Apostles themselves.
The Fathers of the Society of Jesus and of other Orders
first planted the Church, and then set to work with
ability and zeal to educate not only the children of the
forest, but also the sons of the hardy pioneers who came
with their faith from Europe. Next followed the Chris-
tian Brothers, who soon became the admiration of all
friends of education. With wonderful rapidity they mul-
tiplied their admirable parish-schools, where, besides a
thorough training of the mind, they imparted to their
pupils a correct knowledge of their duties to God. The
Sisters of Charity, the Ladies of the Sacred Heart, the
Sisters of Notre Dame, the Sisters of St. Joseph, and many
other communities of gentle, pious, and educated ladies,
have devoted their lives and talents to the infusing of the
HISTORY OF THE TEACHING ORDERS, ETC. 183
Spirit of Christ and of his Church into the minds and
hearts of the daughters of America.
Whenever orphans were to be cared for, deaf and dumb
to be taught, the maimed, the blind, and the decrepit to
be fed and clothed, the Sisters of St. Francis and Domi-
nic, the Sisters of Mercy and of Charity, of Providence
and of the Holy Cross, were found ready to devote them-
selves to the care of these afflicted yet loved ones of the
Saviour. The Little Sisters of the Poor have tlirown com-%
fort, shelter, and happiness about the declining years of
the aged and infirm.
Long before the nation had celebrated its centennial
anniversary, the face of the country from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, was studded with those jewels always so dear
to the heart of the Catholic Church, monasteries, and con-
vents of religious men and women, in all of which the
members, while carrying out the counsel of Christ, *' Be
ye perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect," also
labored for the well-being, temporal and spiritual, of their
fellow-creatures. To-day the teaching Orders and the Or-
ders for caring for the poor and destitute, are to be found
in almost every town of any size within the United States
and Canada, laboring zealously in the cause of religion and
humanity.
Thu^ is plainly shown the plenitude of holiness that
has flourished, since the dawn of Christianitv, in all the
religious Orders of the one true Church. We i)erceive that
the life of Christ has been prolonged even to our own day
in holiness of life among his children.
t
M
184
CHKIST IX HIS CHURCH.
I
54. Concluding Remarks on the History of
Monastic Life.
**And I behekl: and lo, a lamb, " Jesus, "stood upon Mount
Sion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his
name, and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. *And
they sang, as it were, a new canticle; and no man could say the
canticle, but those hundred and forty-four thousand, who were pur-
chased from the earth,— the first-fruits to God and to the Lamb,"—
Apocalypse xiv. 1 ei geq.
0
Unquestioned submissioii to God in Toluntary poverty,
unqualified obedience, virginal purity, and i)raetical char-
ity towards suffering humanity—such is the beau-ideal of
monastic life.
Now, the impai-tial history of some few monasteries
and of some few Orders informs us that the real state of
those institutions did not always correspond to this ideal,
that the practice was not always in keeping with the
theory. For indolence, pride, and worldliness have in
some instances not only influenced members of religious
Orders, but in too many eases have proved disastrous and
ruinous to whole communities. In this connection we
must not lose sight of three all-important truths.
In the first place, Popes, bishops, Councils, and most
holy and earnest saints,— as for example, St Bernard, St.
Teresa, and others,— have recognized these distressing
abuses wherever they came to light. They were loud and
determined in condemning them, and labored strenuously
and unceasingly, yet prudently and judiciously, to root
them out.
In the second place, it was often the very fault-finders
themselves, sometimes the civil authorities, who placed
the most formidable obstructions in the way of reform.
They thwarted the efforts of bishops and other Church
authorities, by encouraging the disedifying behavior of the
wayward monks, and by forbidding the introduction of
reformatory measures by the Church.
COl^CLUDING REMARKS OK MONASTIC LIFE. 185
Finally, impartial history assures us that the greater
part of these complaints, made against monasteries in
most cases by the enemies of all religion, were founded
on malice, falsehood, and ignorance. Among the worldly-
minded there prevails, as St. Paul assures us, "concu-
piscence of the eyes, concupiscence of the flesh, and the
pride of life, and desire of their own Avill." In the life of
a true religious, the opposite virtues are scrupulously prac-
tised.
These virtues are voluntary poverty, virginal chastity,
holy obedience; in other words, the i^erfection of Jesus
Christ. Hence the worldlings, if true to their past his-
tory, must hate and persecute the religious Orders, for in
them dwelleth the life of Clirist. "The world will hate
you, because it hath first hated me," was the significant
promise of Christ to his followers. The world cannot
believe in disinterested heroic virtue, because it has never
known the supernatural power of those means by which
virtue is acquired and securely maintained; has certainly
•never had any personal practical experience of the efficacy
of those aids to virtue, the word of God, the Sacraments,
humble prayer, sanctifying grace. Hence, basing their
pretended judgment on their own experience, on their
own interior life, worldlings affect to disbelieve the exist-
ence of virtue in the lives of the religious, and accuse
them of deception and hypocrisy. The worldling feels
acutely that the voluntary poverty of the monk, the self-
sacrifice of the missionary, the heroic virtue of the Sis-
ter of Charity, is a reproach and a rebuke to his selfish
indolence ; and hence he would gladly rid himself of the
presence of so persistent a monitor. Frivolous ridicule
or malicious calumnv, abuse of the rules of the Orders
or reviling of the members, unfair legislation, and even
open violence, have been made use of by the enemy, in
the hope to destroy these institutions of the Catholic
Church.
i|
I
186
CHRIST IX HIS CHURCH.
But we must not be deluded aud led astray by the false
opinions and malicious objections and f ault-lindings of the
worldling. Though we may see the unfaithful member of
a religious Order prove false to his vows, leave his commu-
nity, and even lose his faith and preach heresy, we simply
pity him, while we say to ourselves, **One traitor less in
the camp, one coward less in the army of Christ." Let
us rejoice, then, in our Saviour, and in the manner in
which his life has been continued in the religious orders.
Let us await patiently and confidently for his good time,
when he will, in spite of the opposition of the enemy,
renew and transplant these brightest, fairest flowers of his
Church upon earth to the realms of everlasting glory.
CHAPTER VIL
THE HISTORY OF THE SAINTS.
CHEIST LIVES IN HIS CHCJRCH AS THE HOLY ONE.
55. The Martyr Saints.
ST. STEPHEN.
"We who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake:
that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal
flesh."— 2 Corinthians iv. 11.
■^^OT only in the religious Orders of the Church does
-^^ Christ manifest his holiness, and repeat and con-
tinue his own holy life upon earth. He really and truly
lives also in the holy and pure souls of men and women in
all conditions of human society. Proud and self-sufficient
worldlings choose to know nothing about these favorite
servants of God, the Catholic Saints. To the worldly-
wise, all pious legend, that is to say, the history of the
lives, virtues, and miracles of the Saints of the Church,
is something too despicable or trifling for their serious con-
sideration. For they hold that only the names and mem-
ories of philosophers, statesmen, or warriors are fit themes
of historical study, and they would ignore and forget all
others.
This is unjust. Why, the fervent and persevering'
prayer of one sinless soul before the throne of the
Almighty; the quiet, steady usefulness of a good man
in his own sphere; the irresistible influence of his good
188
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
I
example upon his fellow-men; the simple words of heav-
enly wisdom that fall from his lips, and like seed blessed
by heaven, sink deep into the hearts of many, contribute
more certainly and effectively to the advantage of human-
ity, and to the welfare of the Church, than the blood-
stained victories of the conqueror, or the noisy words of
the haughty orator or statesman.
Therefore, the Christian opens frequently the eyes of
his soul and looks upward with joy upon that spiritual fir-
mament, where, according to St. Paul's own testimony,
the Saints of Christ's Church shine like brilliant stars,
rivalling each other in beauty, power, and glory. Let us
cast a glance also over this earth of ours, view the varied
conditions and circumstances of human life, and then
rejoice in the fulness of our hearts at the grand display
of holiness and purity which Christ is pleased to make
practically manifest in the lives of his Saints upon earth.
First of all, our gaze will alight upon that glorious
army of martyrs, whose brows are decked with the laurel
of victory, and whose garments are dyed crimson in their
own blood. These Saints have received, and cherished,
and reduced to painful practice the words of their Lord
and Saviour: " Greater love than this no man hath, that a
man lay down his life for his friends." As Christ had laid
down his divinely precious life for them, they found it easy,
and esteemed it but a poor return, to deliver themselves
freely up to death, and to the martyr's death, and to seal
! with their life's blood not only the eternal truth of His
doctrine, but also the intensity of their own disinterested
love. What a glorious testimony in favor of Christian
truth! If in ihe comparatively short period of the first
three centuries in the Church, more than three millions
of the purest and noblest of persons go cheerfully to death
in defence of this truth; to death amid the most excru-
ciating tortures; to a death unattended by world-honor or
fame, and with bright and happy faces and joyous, tran-
■'I
THE MARTYR SAINTS.
189
quil hearts, and blessing their very executioners — who, in
his sound mind, could longer question the truth of Christ?
And if within the hearts of these three millions of victims
to the truth and cause of Christ, the love for Christ burned
so intensely as to be able to conquer all fear of the most
painful and disgraceful of martyrs' deaths, who would or
could refuse to pay his respect to this celestial ardor of
self-sacrificing love ? Hence the early Christians ven-
Martyrdom of St. Stephen.
crated with a tender love even the very bones of their
martyred brethren. Hence, too, the true and fervent
Catholic to-day loves to possess some of these precious
relics, to venerate them as lie remembers with pious awe
and satisfaction that these relics were once animated by a
great, God-loving, and heroic soul.
The Church honors as the first in the ranks of these
champions, the holy martyr St. Stephen. He was chief
i
188
CnRISl JM HIS CHURCH.
example upon his fellow-men; the simple words of heav-
enly wisdom that fall from his lips, and like seed blessed
by heaven, sink deep into the hearts of many, contribute
more certainly and effectively to the advantage of human-
ity, and to the welfare of the Church, than the blood-
stained victories of the conqueror, or the noisy words of
the haughty orator or statesman.
Therefore, the Christian opens frequently the eyes of
his soul and looks upward with joy upon that spiritual fir-
mament, where, according to St. Paul's own testimony,
the Saints of Christ's Church shine like brilliant stars,
rivalling each other in beauty, power, and glory. Let us
cast a glance also over this earth of ours, view the varied
conditions and circumstances of human life, and then
rejoice in the fulness of our hearts at the grand display
of holiness and purity which Christ is pleased to make
practically manifest in the lives of his Saints upon earth.
First of all, our gaze will alight upon that glorious
army di martyrs, whose brows are decked with the laurel
of victory, and whose garments are dyed crimson in their
own blood. These Saints have received, and cherished,
and reduced to painful practice the words of their Lord
and Saviour: " Greater love than this no man hath, that a
man lay down his life for his friends." As Christ had laid
down his divinely precious life for them, they found it easy,
and esteemed it but a poor return, to deliver themselves
freely up to death, and to the martyr's death, and to seal
! with their life's blood not only the eternal truth of His
doctrine, but also the intensity of their own disinterested
love. What a glorious testimony in favor of Christian
tintli! If in the comparatively short period of the first
three centuries in the Church, more than three millions
of the purest and noblest of persons go cheerfully to death
in defence of this truth; to death amid the most excru-
ciating tortures; to a death unattended by world-honor or
fame, and with bright and hapi)y faces and joyous, tran-
THE MARTYR SAINTS.
189
quil hearts, and blessing their very executioners — who, in
his sound mind, could longer question the truth of Christ?
And if within the hearts of these three millions of victims
to the truth and cause of Christ, the love for Christ burned
so intensely as to be able to conquer all fear of the most
painful and disgraceful of martyrs' deaths, who would or
could refuse to pay his respect to this celestial ardor of
self-sacrificing love ? Hence the early Christians ven-
Martyrdom of St. Stephen.
crated with a tender love even the very bones of their
martyred brethren. Hence, too, the true and fervent
Catholic to-day loves to possess some of these precious
relics, to venerate them as he remembers with pious awe
and satisfaction that these relics were once animated by a
great, God-loving, and heroic soul.
The Church honors as the first in the ranks of these
champions, the holy martyr St. Stephen. He was chief
~ii
190
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
j
II
II
among those seven deacons chosen to assist the holy Apos-
tles; a man of strong faith and full of the Holy Ghost,
working wonders and great signs among the people. The
Jews, chafing under his severe and truthful rebukes,
dragged him before the high council, and produced false
witnesses, who stated: "This man ceaseth not to speak
words against the holy place and the law." But all who
were in the court-room looked with astonishment upon
the youthful deacon, for his face shone in beauty like
that of an angel. . It was before this assembly that the
inspired deacon delivered that eloquent and scathing dis-
course to the Jews, as given by St. Luke in his ** Acts of
the Apostles" [vii. 2-53]. His guilty audience fairly
raved with anger, and gnashed their teeth at him in
their fury. But Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, directed
his eyes towards heaven, where, being permitted to see the
glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of his
Father, he exclaimed: '' Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God."
At these words his enemies fairly shrieked with rage,
stopped their ears, and then rushed violently upon him,
They dragged him out of the city, took ofE their outer
garments, which they laid at the feet of a young man
named Saul,* and then stoned their victim to death.
But Stephen, offering no resistance, continued to look
towards heaven and to repeat: "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit." On bended knees and with clasped hands, he at
last cried out, as his soul was about to depart, "Lord, lay
not this sin to their charge." Having said these words,
he fell asleep in the Lord. Thus died the first of our
Christian martyrs; a model of burning zeal for the truth
of Christ, and of compassionate charity for evil-doers.
♦ This Saul, who was a willing witness to the death of St. Ste-
phen, afterwards became St. Paul, the great Apostle of the Gentiles,
and gave his life in defence of that same truth for which Stephen
died.
HISTORY OF THE BISHOPS.
191
56. History of the Bishops.
ST. CHARLES BOREOMEO.
*' God made to him a covenant of peace to be the prince of his
people, that the dignity of priesthood should be to him and to his
seed forever." — Ecclesiasticus xlv. 30.
Side by side with the holy martyrs, we see, standing
in the temple of heaven, those glorious Saints who were
once the worthy and faithful representatives, in the Chris-
tian temples on earth, of the great and veritable High
Priest, Jesus Christ. These are our learned and holy
bishops. Who can tell the names of all these anointed
of the Lord, who, while on earth, wielded the sacred cro-
sier with unswerving fidelity amid trials and afflictions;
but who are now enjoying everlasting repose from their
labors in the company of the Good Shepherd himself?
Some distinguished themselves in their earthly careers by
their sublime wisdom, others by their indomitable cour-
age in the contest for truth and justice; some were remark-
able for their child-like modesty in prosperity and success,
others by their calm resignation in trial and persecution.
All shone resplendent by the holiness of their lives, and
the faithful discharge of their duties as shepherds of
Christ's flock. Every land and every age has had its
holy bishops, and in modern times the saintly Cardinal
of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo, stands forth among the
greatest of these successors of the Apostles.
In the government of his diocese, this holy bishop
mever lost sight of the bright and edifying example of his
illustrious predecessor, the learned doctor and exemplary
bishop, St. Ambrose. He endeavored constantly to find
out the wants, necessities and abuses of his diocese, and
immediately, and prudently, and effectively to remedy
them. For this purpose he availed himself specially of
conferences and synods; that is, the united counsels of his
192
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
HISTORY OF THE BISHOPS.
193
clergy and suffragan bishops. While listening in humble
modesty and deference to the advice and suggestions of
the aged and experienced, he knew how, by his magna-
nimity and ardent zeal for souls, to gain the unlimited
confidence of his fellow-laborers, and to enkindle in their
hearts the fire of apostolic charity and zeal. His own
vast resources, as well as the revenues of the Church, he
employed almost exclusively to the requirements of God's
Church. Well-attended seminaries for the proper train-
St. Charles BcxTomeo.
ing and education of efficient carers of souls, several asy-
lums for orphans, and hospitals for the sick and needy,
were only a portion of his work. He himself lived so
sparingly, that on one occasion, having returned home at
evening sick and weary, after having attended during the
entire day in a public hospital of Milan, consoling the vic-
tims of a contagious epidemic, he had neither bread nor
money to buy it.
Even the limits of his own diocese were too contracted
for the generous zeal of this Apostle, and all Italy and even
the wild mountain recesses of Switzerland became the
scene of his labors. He made pilgrimages on foot to the
most remote mountain districts, going from cottage to
cottage, strengthening the inhabitants in the faith of their
forefathers, w^arning them against the errors of that age,
and consoling them in their trials and afflictions. By
founding houses for the Jesuits and Capuchins, he pro-
vided religious consolation and instruction for the masses
of the people; so that the interior districts of Switzerland
escaped falling into Protestantism, and were thus indebted
to him for the preservation of their ancient faith and God-
worship. His vast and multiplied correspondence by letter
with the bishops of various districts, with the heads of
religious Orders, and with the reigning princes of his time,
had no other object in view than to encourage and strength-
en them by advice and exhortation to be true and loyal
to the Church.
Above all was he obedient and loving towards Kome,
which he knew to be the centre of Christian faith and
unity. The chair of St. Peter was at that time worthily
filled by his illustrious uncle. Pope Pius IV. This Pon-
tiff, soon learning to appreciate the learning and sanctity
of his nephew, allowed him considerable influence in the
government of the universal Church. The most impor-
tant work of that period was the successful finishing and
closing of the General Council of Trent, in which the wise
and prudent archbishop of Milan took an active and suc-
cessful part. Thus did our blessed Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ raise up, in those dangerous years of the
so-called Reformation, his faithful servant St. Charles, to be
a pillar of strength in his persecuted Church, and a shin-
ing example of fidelity to all future bishops. Pie died in
the odor of sanctity on the 3d of November, 1584, in the
forty-sixth year of his age.
192
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
II
clergy and suffragan bishops. While listening in humble
modesty and deference to the advice and suggestions of
the aged and experienced, he knew how, by his magna-
nimity and ardent zeal for souls, to gain the unlimited
confidence of his fellow-laborers, and to enkindle in their
hearts the fire of apostolic charity and zeal. His own
yast resources, as well as the revenues of the Church, he
employed almost exclusively to the requirements of God's
Church. Well-attended seminaries for the proper train-
St. Charles Borromeo.
ing and education of efficient carers of souls, several asy-
lums for orphans, and hospitals for the sick and needy,
were only a portion of his work. He himself lived so
sparingly, that on one occasion, having returned home at
evening sick and weary, after having attended during the
entire day in a public hospital of Milan, consoling the vic-
tims ol a contagious epidemic, he had neither bread nor
money to buy it.
Even the limits of his own diocese were too contracted
pt
HISTOKY OF THE BISHOPS.
193
1
for the generous zeal of this Apostle, and all Italy and even
the wild mountain recesses of Switzerland became the
scene of his labors. He made pilgrimages on foot to the
most remote mountain districts, going from cottage to
cottage, strengthening the inhabitants in the faith of their
forefathers, warning them against the errors of that age,
and consoling them in their trials and afflictions. By
founding houses for the Jesuits and Capuchins, he pro-
vided religious consolation and instruction for the masses
of the people; so that the interior districts of Switzerland
escaped falling into Protestantism, and were thus indebted
to him for the preservation of their ancient faith and God-
worship. His vast and multiplied correspondence by letter
with the bishops of various districts, with the heads of
religious Orders, and with the reigning princes of his time,
had no other object in view than to encourage and strength-
en them by advice and exhortation to be true and loyal
to the Church.
Above all was he obedient and loving towards Rome,
which he knew to be the centre of Christian faith and
unity. The chair of St. Peter was at that time worthily
filled by his illustrious uncle. Pope Pius IV. This Pon-
tiff, soon learning to appreciate the learning and sanctity
of his nephew, allowed him considerable influence in the
government of the universal Church. The most impor-
tant work of that period was the successful finishing and
closing of the General Council of Trent, in which the wise
and prudent archbishop of Milan took an active and suc-
cessful part. Thus did our blessed Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ raise up, in those dangerous years of the
so-called Reformation, his faithful servant St. Charles, to be
a pillar of strength in his j)ersecuted Church, and a shin-
ing example of fidelity to all future bisho])s. He died in
the odor of sanctity on the 3d of November, 1584, in the
forty-sixth year of his age.
194
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
I
57. History of the Priesthood.
ST. JOHN NEPOMUCENE.
** The Priests shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come
near to my table to minister unto me, and to keep my ceremonies."
— EzECHiEL xliv. 16.
Next to the glorious army of holy bishops in heaven,
stand the countless rank and file of their fellow warriors,
the holy priests of the Church. To these was intrusted
upon earth the keeping of the sacred body of their Lord,
though in a mysterious manner, and concealed beneath
the sacramental veil. Faithfully and reverently they
guarded the priceless treasure, offering it up as a perfect^
victim in the holy sacrifice of the mass, dispensing it
faithfully and with priestly joy to the believing multi-
tudes. But now the sacramental veil is removed from
before their eyes, and they gaze with rapture on the glo-
rified body of that Lord, whose merest glance on Tabor
entranced the three favorite Apostles. To the priests, too,
while upon earth, was intrusted the duty and power of
pronouncing over the repentant sinner the consoling
words of absolution. Zealously they corresponded; re-
calling wayward sinners to the ways of virtue, loosening
them from their sins, and like true and faithful shepherds,
leading them back to the fold of Christ. Now these faith-
ful priests of the Church unite their voices with those of
their converted souls in singing for all eternity the praises
of their Eedeemer. In those shining fields, no temptation
can now assail them, no shadow of danger cast a mo-
ment's gloom upon their regenerated souls. All is peace
and rest for all eternity.
In this grand army of priests we discover, among
others, that heroic confessor and martyr, whom all Chris-
tendom has honored for the last five hundred years as the
champion and martyr of the secrecy of the confessional.
THE SAIN^TLY HERMITS.
195
the glorious St. John Nepomucene of Bohemia. Having
been chosen by Queen Sophia for her confessor, her hus-
band. King Wenceslas IV., actuated by a wicked curi-
osity, had the presumption to approach the Saint with a
view of extracting from him the subject of his wife's con-
fession. St. John was shocked at the wicked presump-
tion of the King, and replied. boldly that he would die
rather than violate the secrecy of the sacred tribunal by
revealing a syllable of the Queen's confession. Furious
at his discomfiture, the wicked King had the Saint
stretched upon the rack, and as neither threats nor prom-
ises would induce him to yield to the tyi'ant's unreason-
able demand, St. John Nepomucene was thrown from a
bridge into the river Moldau, on the night of the 20th of
March, 1393. Immediately the river became brightly illu-
minated, and the dead body of the Martyr of the Confes-
sional was brought to shore, carried amid the tears and
sobs of the people to the Cathedral, where it was buried
with great solemnity. Three hundred years later, on the
15th of April, 1719, the Saint's grave was opened, and
the tongue was found to be moist, fresh, and untainted.
He has ever been and will continue to be the patron saint
of our father-confessors, and the guardian of their eternal
secrecy of the Confessional.
S8. The Saintly Hermits.
ST. PAUL OF THEBES.
"Behold I will allure her, and lead her into the wilderness: and
I will speak to her heart."— Osee ii. 14.
Turn we now from those to whom was intrusted the
offering of the Sacrifice of the new law, to the holy her-
mits of the Church. These men, buried in the solitary
wilderness, offered sacrifice of prayer and mortification to
196
CHKI8T IN HIS CHURCH.
THE SAINTLY HERMITS.
197
I
their immortal Lord and master, Jesus Christ. Following
the mysterious impulses of his heart, or rather obeying
the call of divine grace, the solitary hermit, while aban-
doning the world with all its pleasures, also escapes its
harrowing and exhausting distractions. Wherever a sweet
fountain springs from the rock, or a sheltering cave sup-
plies a roof, or a few herbs furnish a scanty means of sub-
sistence, there we find the hermit settling himself down to
lead a life of tranquil virtue and holiness. And whilst
his hands are busy in useful industry, his heart is en-
gaged in fervent contemplation of the goodness, mercies,
and justice of his Creator. Although living apart from
friends and kindred, still he remembers their difficulties,
trials, and afflictions amid the busy throng of men, and
offers his sacrifice of a lonely life, of prayer, and of self-
denial, for their spiritual and temporal relief and advance-
ment. These latter, also, sometimes make pilgrimages to
the lonelv retreat of the recluse, there to listen with com-
fort and edification to his wise teachings, salutary coun-
sels, and consoling exhortations. Worldlings may mock
and condemn the eccentricities of the man who has loved
Christ more than the world, but they forget that many
a pious recluse, ever since the days of John the Baptist,
has rendered more real service to society by his prayers
and mortification of the sensual appetites, than has been
obtained by the eloquent words of the learned, or the rest-
less sword of the conquering slaughterer of his fellowmen.
The most renowned among the holy hermits of the
Church was St. Paul of Egypt, born in the year 227.
During the persecution of the Emperor Decius, this de-
vout and highly educated youth fled to the desert, where
he passed ninety years without meeting a fellow-man.
For the first twenty years, his subsistence consisted of the
fruit of a palm-tree and the water of a brook which
flowed in front of his hermitage. During the last seventy
years of his life, the Lord sent to him daily, as to Elias of
old in the desert, a raven bearing a half barley loaf.
When Paul was 113 years old, another holy hermit, St.
Antony, directed by God, and being himself then ninety
years of age, came to visit this venerable recluse. These
two holy men, enlightened by heaven, recognized each
other at once, saluted each other by name at the first
moment of their meeting, fell upon each other's neck in
tender embrace, and thanked and praised the Lord. A
saci-ed solid friendship was at once formed between them.
While they were conversing, a raven flew down and dropped
a whole loaf of bread before the two saints. Paul said,
smiling: ** Behold how good the Lord is! During sixty
years he has sent me, in this way, a lialf loaf of bread every
day. But now, when you have come to see me, Christ has
doubled the pay of his servants." They ate together,
drank from the spring, and gave thanks to God. On the
following morning, after a night spent together in prayer
and pious meditcition, Paul informed St. Antony that his
hfe was about to close, and requested him to go and bring
for his shroud a certain cloak which the bishop Athanasius
had some time previous given to him. Antony obeyed,
and on his return with the mantle, found St. Paul in a
kneeling posture, with head bowed down and clasped
hands, apparently absorbed in silent prayer. But the
soul of Paul had fled while he prayed, and he was now
asleep in the Lord. Hardly had St. Antony enveloped
the venerable remains of his friend in the mantle of the
holy bishop, when two strong lions approached with gen-
tle mien, and at once began to dig with their paws a last
resting-place for the body of St. Paul. St. Antony, after
placing the remains in the grave, and having smoothed
the last sod, hastened back to his monastery to relate these
miraculous events to his wondering disciples.
It is thus that the death of this great servant of God is
described by one of the most credible authorities, namelv,
St. Jerome, Doctor in the Church.
I
lii
198 CHRIST m HIS CHURCH.
59. The Royal Saints.
THE EMPEROR HENRY II.
And now, O ye kings, understand, receive instructions, serve
ye the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto liim with trembling."—
Psalm ii. 11.
The infant Jesus, besides inviting to his crib at Bethle-
hem the plain and simple shepherds of Bethlehem, sum-
moned also to his service and homage three rich and
powerful kings from Eastern lands. And the Saviour's
invitation has in all ages been directed, not alone to simple
hermits and pious priests, but also to the great ones of the
earth. Jesus Christ has been pleased to live, to act out
his life, in the lives of many kings and princes. How
edifying to society, how conducive to the spiritual and
temporal well-being of mankind, for the head of the nation
to take the lead in reducing to practice both in his public
and private life the maxims of Christianity! How bright
and honorable the crown of authority, when worn on a
truly Christian brow! How serviceable and dignified the
royal sceptre when wielded by hands unstained with blood,
by hands ever busy in improving the condition of those
committed to their care. How stately the regal ermine
when covering the form of one submissive and docile to
the teachings of Christ. Honor and praise are due to such
wise, humble, and just rulers: to the saintly Ladislas,
Stephen, and Emeuil of Hungary; to the pious Henry,
emperor of Germany; to the devout Edward of England;
to the religious Ferdinand of Spain; to the holy Guntram
of Burgundy; to the just Canute of Denmark; to Saint
Wenceslas of Bohemia, St. Leopold of Austria, and St.
Louis of France. Honor and praise to these princely
patrons of the Church; they were fathers to their people,
and bright examples of every noble virtue.
In studying the life of the most glorious of all Christian
THE ROYAL SAIN^TS.
199
rulers, of the saintly emperor, Henry the Second, we shall
discover how princely wisdom is reconcilable with Chris-
tian simplicity, royal majesty with Christian humility, and
dignified valor with Christian meekness. We shall observe
what a torrent of heaveuly blessings are poured out upon
Church and State, when these virtues are found to exist
in the soul of a civil ruler.
The foundation of Christian perfection was laid by
pious parents, at an early age, in the heart of St. Henry,
.-:$j^^^
The Eknperor Henry H.
and the subsequent structure of piety and sanctity was
reared by the skilled and careful hands of St. Wolfgang,
bishop of Regensburg. St. Henry's espousals with St.
Cunegunda, and his constant and familiar intercourse with
great and good men, crowned his whole earthly career with
a bright halo of holiness and wisdom. All through life his
motto was, " Not unto me, but to God's name be praise
and glory given : let everything be done for God and
through God.'* The temple of the Lord was his happiest
198 CHRIST IK HIS CIIUKCn.
59. The Royal Saints.
THE EMPEROR HENRY II.
And now, O ye kings, understand, receive instructions, serve
ye the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto him with trembling."—
Psalm ii. 11.
The infant Jesus, besides inviting to liis crib at Betlilc-
jrnrn the plain and simple shepherds of Bethlehem, sum-
moned also to his service and homage three rich and
powerful kings from Eastern lands. And the Saviour's
invitation has in all ages been directed, not alone to simple
hermits and pious priests, but also to the great ones of the
earth. Jesus Christ has been pleased to live, to act out
his life, in the lives of many kings and princes. How
edifying to society, how conducive to the spiritual and
temporal well-being of mankind, for the head of the nation
to take the lead in reducing to practice both in his public
and private life the maxims of Christianity! How bright
and honorable the crown of authority, when worn on a
truly Christian brow! How serviceable and dignified the
royal sceptre when wielded by hands unstained with blood,
by hands ever busy in improving the condition of those
committed to their care. How stately the regal ermine
when covering the form of one submissive and docile to
the teachings of Christ. Honor and praise are due to such
wise, humble, and just rulers: to the saintly Ladislas,
Stephen, and Emeuil of Hungary; to the pious Henry,
emperor of Germany; to the devout Edward of England;
to the religious Ferdinand of Spain; to the holy Guntram
of Burgundy; to the just Canute of Denmark; to Saint
Wenceslas of Bohemia, St. Leopold of Austria, and St.
Louis of France. Honor and praise to these princely
patrons of the Church; they were fathers to their people,
and bright examples of every noble virtue.
In studying the life of the most glorious of all Christian
THE ROYAL SAINTS.
199
rulers, of the saintly emperor, Henry the Second, we shall
discover how princely wisdom is reconcilable with Chris-
tian simplicity, royal majesty with Christian humility, and
dignified valor with Christian meekness. We shall observe
what a torrent of heaveuly blessings are poured out upon
Church and State, when these virtues are found to exist
in the soul of a civil ruler.
The foundation of Christian perfection was laid by
pious parents, at an early age, in the heart of St. Henry,
The Emperor Henry IL
and the subsequent structure of piety and sanctity was
reared by the skilled and careful hands of St. Wolfgang,
bishop of Kegensburg. St. Henry's espousals with St.
Cunegunda, and his constant and familiar intercourse with
great and good men, crowned his whole earthly career with
a bright halo of holiness and wisdom. All through life his
motto was, "Not unto me, but to God's name be praise
and glory given: let everything be done for God and
through God." The temple of the Lord was his happiest
200
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
11
dwelling-place, and its embellishment was his chief and
favorite care. Of this trait in his character, testimony is
given by the many sumptuous churches that he built, or
repaired and renovated. On the occasion of his coronation
by the Pope, in the city of Korne, in 1014, the Sovereign
Pontiff Benedict the Eighth, solemnly asked him: ** Wilt
thou be a firm and constant protector of the holy Roman
Church?" St. Henry pledged himself to the Pope; and
ever afterwards was so true to his promise that a pious
historian observes: "That fraternal embrace between the
Supreme Kuler of the Church and the highest potentate of
the world, must necessarily have contributed immensely to
the happiness of mankind." The bishoprics of Bamberg,
Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Meissen, Merseburg, and Basel,
which were either erected by him as new sees, or restored
from poverty and decay, were by his special direction
endowed with princely munificence. He restored to their
ancient vigor and discipline, to their former temporal and
spiritual prosperity, many neglected monasteries. For
this purpose, he introduced fervent and learned monks
from the renowned monastery of Cliiny. He sent several
zealous missionaries to Bohemia and Poland, in order to
confirm and extend the influence of Christianity in those
countries. How amply repaid for all these generous acts
the saintly emperor must have considered himself, when in
the year 1020, his illustrious friend and admirer. Pope
Benedict the Eighth, in response to Henry's invitation,
came in state to Bamberg to pass the Easter with him, and
to consecrate the newly-erected church of St. Stephen!
In the midst of all these works, St. Henry never lost
sight for a moment of the building up, in his own heart,
of a glorious and lasting temple of inward sanctification.
By prayer, meditation, mortification, and pious counsels
he maintained that wonderful control over himself which
enabled him to live, till the hour of his death, in a state of
yirginity with his saintly spouse and queen. Hence he
THE ROYAL SAINTS. *
201
could say when dying, as he commended his queen to her
friends and relatives: "I received her a virgin; I give her
back to you the same unsullied virgin."
It might be objected by some, that to such a pious man
the garb of a monk would be more becoming than the scep-
tre of a monarch. We must not suppose, that on account
of his devotion to religion, he neglected to maintain the
dignity of his realm or to care for the worldly prosperity of
his country. Even secular historians assure us that his
piety never stood in the way of the discharge of his worldly
duties. At the time when he ascended the throne, power-
ful enemies, some of them his own kindred, rose up to
oppose him and his administration. St. Henry, fully con-
scious of the righteousness of his cause, met them with the
courage of a soldier and succeeded in subduing them.
Harduin of Ivrea sought to make himself king of Italy,
but St. Henry's sword smote him to the earth. In the
western portion of the kingdom. Prince Boleslasof Poland
attempted to rebel against his emperor. The two oppos-
ing armies stood face to face. St. Henry with all his
troops threw themselves upon their knees, and together
received the Blessed Sacrament. Thus fortified, they soon
won an easy victory over the forces of Boleslas. By means
of his quiet, prudent, though efficient statesmanship, he
succeeded in annexing to the German empire the impor-
tant kingdom of Burgundy. Old prejudices estranged,
from each other, the people of Germany and of France.
St. Henry brought about the famous and interesting meet-
ing between himself and King Robert of France, at Trois.
Here these two princes held council how to render their
people happy and contented, and vowed everlasting friend-
ship to each other. A universal and continued peace was
agreed upon, and law and justice were henceforth to re-
place disorder and rapine. An old chronicler of that day
thus speaks of St. Henry: ''All nations of the earth bow
down before him. Rightfully he enjoys the highest repu-
202
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE SAINTLY WORKINGMEN.
203
II
tation; for, by the assistance of God, he has triumphed
over all other princes. The husbandman is contented
on his broad acres, the ecclesiastic is happy in Lis sanc-
tuary. Every man enjoys the blessings, both spiritual
and temporal, vouchsafed to him by God; and under the
benign sway of our emperor Henry, the poor feel them-
selves rich."
On the occasion of this holy emperor's death, which
took place on the 13th of July, 1024, a writer of the time
thus expresses himself: " The flower of mankind, the glory
of kings, the pride of the empire, the protector of God's
Church, the peaceful Champion of Christendom, our em-
peror Henry, is no more."
To this saintly prince may be applied the words of Solo-
mon: '* I have prayed, and the spirit of wisdom came upon
me. I preferred wisdom to riches and to thrones, and
kingdoms I have regarded as nothing in comparison to
wisdom. More than health and beauty have I loved it.
And with it were given to me all good and untold hon-
ors.
19
r
6o. The Saintly Workingmen.
ST. CRISPIN.
*• The foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may-
confound the wise: and the weak things of the world hath God
chosen, that he may confound the strong."—! Corinthiaks i. 27.
Let US now leave the glare of the imperial palace, and
enter into the tranquil precincts of the house of God.
What a spectacle greets our eyes ! The holy table of the
Lord! And see kneeling around it the great and the
powerful. They are not alone, for intermingled and side
by side, you discover the poorest and most lowly of their
subjects. They are all equal when in the house of God,
and especially when kneeling to adore celestial, never-
ending royalty — the King of kings. What a consoling
and satisfactory solution of the difficulty concerning the
equality of man, may be witnessed at the communion-
table of a Catholic church ! St. Paul, the Apostle of the
Gentiles, exclaims: *' The bread which we break, is it not
the partaking of the body of the Lord ? For we being many,
all that partake of one bread are one body." (1 Cor. x.)
That is to say: all receive equally the same bread of
heaven, the same Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Yes,
St. Crispin, and his brother CMspinian.
Christ lives equally in all men of good-will ; manifesting
his holiness, to precisely the same degree, in prince and
potentate, as in the humblest beggar. For what is great-
ness, or what is lowliness in the eyes of him before whom
the whole earth with all its vanity is but as a grain of
sand in the desert ? Did he not choose to be born in a
stable and to pass many years in honorable toil and lowly
poverty ? Did he not mingle among the people, raising
twelve simple fishermen to the twelve thrones of his king-
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
tation; for, by the assistance of God, he has triumphed
over all other princes. The husbandman is contented
on his broad acres, the ecclesiastic is happy in his sanc-
tuary. Every man enjoys the blessings, both spiritual
and temporal, vouchsafed to him by God; and under the
benign sway of our emperor Ilenry, the poor feel them-
selves rich."
On the occasion of this holy emperor's death, which
took place on the 13th of July, 1024, a writer of the time
thus expresses himself: " The flower of mankind, the glory
of kings, the pride of the empire, the protector of God's
Church, the peaceful Champion of Christendom, our em-
peror Henry, is no more."
To this saintly prince maybe applied the words of Solo-
mon: " I have prayed, and the spirit of wisdom came upon
me. I preferred wisdom to riches and to thrones, and
kingdoms I have regarded as nothing in comparison to
wisdom. More than health and beauty have I loved it.
And with it were given to me all good and untold hon-
ors.
■»
60. The Saintly Workingmen.
ST. CRISPIN.
*• The foolish things of the woild hath God chosen, that he may
confound the wise: and tlie weak things of the world hatli God
chosen, that he may confound the strong."—! Corinthians i. 27.
Let us now leave the glare of the imperial palace, and
enter into the tranquil precincts of the house of God.
What a spectacle greets our eyes ! The holy table of the
Lord ! And see kneeling around it the great and the
powerful. They are not alone, for intermingled and side
by side, you discover the poorest and most lowly of their
subjects. They are all equal when in the house of God,
and especially when kneeling to adore celestial, never-
THE SAINTLY WORKINGMEN.
203
ending royalty— the King of kings. What a consoling
and satisfactory solution of the difficulty concerning the
equality of man, may be witnessed at the communion-
table of a Catholic church ! St. Paul, the Apostle of the
Gentiles, exclaims: *' The bread which we break, is it not
the partaking of the body of the Lord ? For we being many,
all that partake of one bread are one body." (1 Cor. x.)
That is to say: all receive equally the same bread of
heaven, the same Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Yes,
St. Crispin, and his brother Crispinian.
Christ lives equally in all men of good-will ; manifesting
his holiness, to precisely the same degree, in prince and
potentate, as in the humblest beggar. For what is great-
ness, or what is lowliness in the eyes of him before whom
the whole earth with all its vanity is but as a grain of
sand in the desert? Did he not choose to be born in a
stable and to pass many years in honorable toil and lowly
poverty ? Did he not mingle among the people, raising
twelve simple fishermen to the twelve thrones of his king-
Vi
204
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
f
dom, and likening himself to a farmer and a shepherd ?
Hence the truly Christian laborer is consoled, as, in the
sweat of his brow and in the scorching heat of the day, he
tills the field of his employer. Hence the contented brow
and peaceful heart of the tradesman, as day after day, and
year after year, he labors perseveringly for the support of
his family. Perhaps in no other condition of life do we
discover more easily the life of Christ continued and acted
out in his Church, than in the life of the honest son or
daughter of toil.
Among the many saints of lowly condition honored by
the church is St. Crispin, who has ever been the patron
of the Christian tradesman. Distributing all his goods
to the poor, he went with his brother to Gaul, to preach
the kingdom of Christ. The holy brothers took up their
abode at Soissons, where they preached to the people
during the day, and worked at manual labor the best part
of the night. They made shoes, and divided the proceeds
of their labors among the poor, whom they styled their
brethren in Christ. An accident having revealed the
nobility of their origin, many of the wealthy men, very
much affected at the disinterestedness of these gentle
strangers, supplied them with abundant material for their
pious and useful undertaking. These two noble and pious
brothers continued to reflect honor and credit upon an
mdustrious avocation, till at last, in the year 287, they
received the crown of martydom.
6i. The Saintly Farmers and Shepherds.
ST. ISIDORE AND ST. WENDELIN.
"And he chose his servant David, and look him from the
flocks of sheep." — Psalm Ixxvii. 70.
In St. Isidore of Madrid the workingman possesses a
model and a patron. In St. Wendelin from Scotland,
THE SAINTLY FARMERS AND SHEPHERDS. 205
the pious shepherd honors the patron of his lowly but
honorable occupation. The Church recognizes both as
illustrious Saints of God. Isidore, poor and unlettered, but
eager to relieve his struggling parents of the burden of
his support, entered, while yet a boy, the service of a
wealthy man. At first he met with many a rebuke for
coming late to work. "Have patience with me," he
meekly replied to his exacting master, ''and you will see
that when harvest comes, my work will be blessed with
abundant fruit." And so it was in fact ; when harvest
came, his fields surpassed all the others in quantity and
quality. For Isidore had utilized the first hour of the
day in repairing to church and hearing mass. During the
weary hours of labor, he would look upon nature with all
her beauty and rich and bountiful stores, and then raise
his heart in contentment and joy to the Author of all this
beauty and bounty. Dwelling upon God's wisdom, power,
and providence, St. Isidore's heart and soul would brim
over with humility and gratitude. He made use of the
Sunday to fortify himself by the word of God and the
Sacraments for the labors of the coming week. Out of
his scanty earnings, he found means to help those poorer
than himself. The very animals felt the influence of his
gentleness and kindness. God's blessing, too, came down
abundantly upon him, and upon all his undertakings. At
the time of his death, the 15th of May, 1170, his counte-
nance emitted a heavenly brightness, so that those standing
about his death-bed said, in subdued whispers, ** Truly
this is the death of a Saint."
Far more romantic was the life of St. Wendelin.
Descended from the royal family of Scotland, he was
placed at an early age under the spiritual direction and
tuition of a pious and learned bishop, who taught him all
kinds of knowledge, but more the knowledge of heavenly
things, and initiated him into the mysterious ways of
Christian humility and self-denial. The Holy Ghost
206
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE SAINTLY MATRONS.
207
^^
inspired the royal youth with the resolution to abandon
all worldly honors and enticements, and to serve God in
solitude and humble obscurity. Wendelin, therefore,
leaving his father's home, went abroad clad in poor gar-
ments, and after making some pious pilgrimages, entered
on the duties of a shepherd, in the employ of a nobleman,
near Triers. Here, in order to give himself up to prayer,
unseen and uninterrupted, he sought the most retired
fields and meadows for pasturing his flocks. Whilst
St. Wendelin.
taking the most faithful care of the sheep entrusted to
his keeping, he at the same time kept his thoughts on
God and heavenly mysteries. Heaven's blessing de-
scended on the pious shepherd, whose sheep escaped
every harm, and grew and throve.
At the suggestion of his employer, who soon dis-
covered Wendehn's high vocation, he entered the Bene-
dictine Abbey at Tholey. Here, God granted to his
servant the gift of miracles, so that the distressed and
the sick flocked to his presence, and many, by virtue and
eflBcacy of his prayers, obtained miraculous relief. At
the death of the abbot, Wendelin's brethren chose him
for their head, and under his guidance the community
attained a high degree of monastic perfection.
When, in the year 1015, he felt his end approaching,
he sent for the bishop of Triers, made known to him his
royal extraction, and then, after receiving the last sacra-
ment, he gave back his stainless soul to his Creator. The
many miracles which took place at his tomb attracted
crowds of pilgrims to the glorified spot. To shepherds,
he has always been a true and powerful intercessor at the
throne of God, for the protection of themselves and their
flocks.
62. The Saintly Matrons.
ST. MONICA.
** Who shall find a valiant woman? The price of her is as of
things brought from afar off and from the uttermost coasts. She
hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on
her tongue. Her children rose up and called her blessed : her hus-
band praised her." — Proverbs xxxi.
Although it was through woman that sin with all its
accompanying miseries came into the world, yet, in
accordance with the ancient promise of God, it was
through woman, too, that the Saviour who was to remove
all these calamities, was to come among men. Thus was
woman, as well as man, chosen to be a channel of redeem-
ing grace. And as Jesus Christ, even after his ascension,
continued to live in men, so too was he pleased that his
life should be prolonged for all time in the devout female
sex : in pious mothers, chaste wives, and angelic virgins.
The glorious queen amid all her sex, the model of all
mothers, wives, and maidens, was David's humble daugh-
^■Miiiiiia
206
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
11
inspired the royal youth with the resohition to abandon
all worldly honors and enticements, and to serve God in
solitude and humble obscurity. Wendelin, therefore,
leaving his father's home, went abroad clad in poor gar-
ments, and after making some pious pilgrimages, entered
on the duties of a shepherd, in the employ of a nobleman,
near Triers. Here, in order to give himself up to prayer,
unseen and uninterrupted, he sought the most retired
fields and meadows for pasturing his flocks. Whilst
\ ^ r
^ I- ~
St. Wendelia
taking the most faithful care of the sheep entrusted to
his keeping, he at the same time kei)t his thoughts on
CNii and heavenly mysteries. Heaven's blessing de-
scended on the pious shepherd, whose sheep escaped
every harm, and grew and throve.
At the suggestion of his employer, who soon dis-
covered Wendel Ill's high vocation, he entered the Bene-
dictine Abbey at Tholey. Here, God granted to his
servant the gift of miracles, so that the distressed and
THE SAINTLY MATRONS.
207
the sick flocked to his presence, and many, by virtue and
efficacy of his prayers, obtained miraculous relief. At
the death of the abbot, Wendelin's brethren chose him
for their head, and under his guidance the community
attained a high degree of monastic perfection.
When, in the year 1015, he felt his end approaching,
he sent for the bishop of Triers, made known to him his
royal extraction, and then, after receiving the last sacra-
ment, he gave back his stainless soul to his Creator. The
many miracles which took place at his tomb attracted
crowds of pilgrims to the glorified spot. To shepherds,
he has always been a true and powerful intercessor at the
throne of God, for the protection of themselves and their
flocks.
62. The Saintly Matrons.
ST. MONICA.
"Who shall find a valiant wonian? The price of her is as of
things brought from afar off and from the uttermost coasts. She
hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on
her tongue. Her children rose up and called her blessed: her hus-
band praised her. "—Proverbs xxxi.
Although it was through woman that sin with all its
accompanying miseries came into the world, yet, in
accordance with the ancient promise of God, it was
through woman, too, that the Saviour who was to remove
all these calamities, was to come among men. Thus was
woman, as well as man, chosen to be a channel of redeem-
ins: grace. And as Jesus Christ, even after his ascension,
continued to live in men, so too was he pleased that his
life should be prolonged for all time in the devout female
sex : in pious mothers, chaste wives, and angelic virgins.
The glorious queen amid all her sex, the model of all
mothers, wives, and maidens, was David's humble daugh-
208
CHRIST IN HIS CHUKCH.
f
ter, Mary. In her the life of Christ was reflected, like
the light of the sun in the gentle, faithful moon ; for all
her spiritual loveliness is naught else but the reflection of
the glory and sanctity of Him whom she brought into the
worid. In a similar manner does Christ manifest his
beauty of holiness, in all dutiful mothers. For when the
Christian matron presses her cherished offspring to her
heart, feeds it from her breast, and gazes with loving
fondness upon its growth and progress ; when she gives
to it its first lessons in prayer and in love for God, and
devotes herself to her child in health and sickness, she
but presents to our admiring gaze a copy of the inexpres-
sible love, wisdom, and fidelity with which Christ begets,
sustains, guides, and preserves his regenerated child.
Hence, the love and faithfulness of the Christian mother
has ever been, in the Catholic Church, a subject of the
tenderest respect and admiration ; and holy mothers,
such as Monica, Felicitas, Blanche, Bridget, and others
have ever been regarded as graceful ornaments of God's
kingdom.
St. Monica was the mother of a great Doctor in the
Church, St. Augustine ; his mother, too, in the fairest
and most complete sense of the word. She bore him ;
and again, after he had become dead to God by sin and
heresy, she brought him forth once more to God and the
Church, in a regenerated life of penance and sanctity.
Notwithstanding the careful training which Monica was
ever solicitous to give her son, he permitted himself to be
led astray bj his inordinate passions, plunged headlong
into licentiousness, and then, blinded by false worldly
learning, he was ensnared into Manichseism, and thus lost
his faith. Who can describe the anguish of the faithful
Monica's heart? Yet, blessed are they who weep and
mourn, for they shall be comforted. And comfort was
granted to Monica ; for her son was converted, and be-
came a perfect model of the strictest virtue, was after-
THE SAINTLY MATRONS.
209
wards made bishop, and at last became a Doctor and a
pillar of strength in the Church.
Now how was all this accomplished? By three power-
ful influences. In the first place, notwithstanding Augus-
tine's errors, there lay buried, down deep in his heart, a
smouldering love for virtue and truth, a love that had
been implanted by a holy mother's care. And this love
saved him from irredeemable destruction. Secondly, in
the very depths of his sensuality, he experienced, besides
remorse, a yearning for a higher and nobler, a more last-
ing and satisfactory happiness. The fallacies of heresy
fascinated his imagination and captivated his intellect ;
yet, in the mysterious recesses of his heart, a secret voice
ever admonished him, saying: *^This is not truth."
Moreover, there were not wanting warnings from with-
out. In the third place, it was the gratuitous gift of
heavenly grace which took so fast a hold upon his soul,
pulling him out of the mire of iniquity, and supply-
ing him with such strength, that he won a complete
victory over himself, over vice, and over falsehood. And
now, mark well. Christian reader, to whom Augustine
owed this signal and final triumph— to his saintly and
devoted mother, Monica. The pious counsels and steady
example of her gentle love, her magnanimous forbear-
ance, her purity and piety, had, from his earliest infancy,
impressed themselves deeply and ineffaceably on the young
man's heart, and imbedded in his soul a spark of charity,
which would not be extinguished, but insisted on bummg
up brightlv, as soon as the first breath of divine grace fell
upon it. From his father, a rude and uncultivated pagan,
whom St. Monica, in obedience to her parents, reluctantly
married, the son could not have derived any spark of
Christian sentiment. To his mother he was indebted,
also, for an unceasing exhortation to penance. She even
followed him through many long and weary journeys,
never for a moment discontinuing her efforts to reclaim
n
I
210
CHRIST IK HIS CHURCH.
him, praying incessantly to the throne of grace for him.
Eyen her dreams were so many prayers in his behalf. On
one occasion, she called upon a holy and experienced
bishop, for comfort and encouragement. And he said
to her : " Persevere in your prayers ; the child of so many
tears cannot be lost." You know. Christian reader, how
literally this prediction was fulfilled.
From these examples we may learn how much a holy
mother's prayers can effect. St. Monica died at Ostia,
near Rome, in the year 387, after having returned thanks
to God for hearing her supplications, and after having
piously requested her son to remember her when at the
altar.
63. The Virgin Saints.
ST. CECILIA AND ST. CATHARINE.
••Incorruption bringeth nearer to God."— Wisdom vi. 20.
If the lives of Christian mothers and wives make mani-
fest to us the beauty of Christ's holiness, how much more
brilliantly, and beautifully, and closely must the life of
Christ be exemplified in the lives of that lily-bearing
army, of whom St. John writes, that they sing in the
heavenly Jerusalem that mysterious canticle which they
alone can sing; that choir whose state, according to the
testimony of Christ and his Apostle, is sublimer than that
of married people— the choir of the holy virgins. The
virginal beauty of Jesus Christ, his complete victory over
the lusts of the flesh, the pure glowing love of a life
wrapped up in God— where are all these qualities more
fully and truly reflected than in the pure life of a Chris-
tian maiden? Such virginal souls have been generated
in countless numbers, during her entire existence, by
our mother the Church. Two of the most sublime and
remarkable, both within and without the cloister, are St.
THE VIRGIN SAINTS.
211
Cecilia and St. Catharine; the former a Roman from the
banks of the Tiber, the latter a Greek from the city of
Alexandria. St. Cecilia has always been considered the
patroness of Christian art; St. Catharine is honored as
the patroness of Christian science. In the Catholic
Church, these two stand side by side like the two giaceful
olive-trees or the two burnished candlesticks mentioned in
the Apocalypse.
Cecilia, born about the year 205, distinguished alike
by her virginal beauty and her brightness of intellect, dis-
St. CecUia.
covered, in her tenderest years, that original well-spring
of all beauty and of all understanding, the religion of Je-
sus Christ. Her chief delight lay in the holy gospels and
in the beautiful chant of the Church. More than once,
as tradition avers, while pouring out her soul to God in
hymns, accompanied with instrumental music, the celes-
tial choirs came down from heaven and united their voices
to hers. At an early age she was betrothed, though much
against her own will, to a young pagan named Valerian.
But at their wedding-feast our Saint said decisively to her
new husband: "Remember that I have already been es-
ir, I
210
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE VIRGIN SAINTS.
211
II
him, praying incessantly to the throne of grace for him.
Even her dreams were so many prayers in his behalf. On
one occasion, she called upon a holy and experienced
bishop, for comfort and encouragement. And he said
to her : " Persevere in your prayers ; the child of so many
tears cannot be lost." You know. Christian reader, how
literally this prediction was fulfilled.
From these examples we may learn how much a holy
mother's prayers can effect. St. Monica died at Ostia,
near Eome, in the year 387, after having returned thanks
to God for hearing her supplications, and after having
piously requested her son to remember her when at the
altar.
«
63. The Virgin Saints.
ST. CECILIA AND ST. CATHARINE.
IncoiTuption bringetli nearer to God. "—Wisdom vi. 20.
r
If the lives of Christian mothers and wives make mani-
fest to us the beauty of Christ's holiness, how much more
brilliantly, and beautifully, and closely must the life of
Christ be exemplified in the lives of that lily-bearing
army, of whom St. John writes, that they sing in the
heavenly Jerusalem that mysterious canticle which they
alone can sing; that choir whose state, according to the
testimony of Christ and his Apostle, is sublimer than that
of married people— the choir of the holy virgins. The
virginal beauty of Jesus Christ, his complete victory over
the lusts of the flesh, the pure glowing love of a life
wrapped up in God— where are all these qualities more
fully and truly reflected than in the pure life of a Chris-
tian maiden? Such virginal souls have been generated
in countless numbers, during her entire existence, by
our mother the Church. Two of the most sublime and
remarkable, both within and without the cloister, are St.
Cecilia and St. Catharine; the former a Roman from the
banks of the Tiber, the latter a Greek from the city of
Alexandria. St. Cecilia has always been considered the
patroness of Christian art; St. Catharine is honored as
the patroness of Christian science. In the Catholic
Church, these two stand side by side like the two giaceful
olive-trees or the two burnished candlesticks mentioned in
the Apocalypse.
Cecilia, born about the year 205, distinguished alike
by her virginal beauty and her brightness of intellect, dis-
St. Cecilia.
covered, in her tenderest years, that original well-spring
of all beauty and of all understanding, the religion of Je-
sus Christ. Her chief delight lay in the holy gospels and
in the beautiful chant of the Church. More than once,
as tradition avers, while pouring out her soul to God in
hymns, accompanied with instrumental music, the celes-
tial choirs came down from heaven and united their voices
to hers. At an early age she was betrothed, though much
against her own will, to a young pagan named Valerian.
But at their wedding-feast our Saint said decisively to her
new husband: ** Remember that I have already been es-
212
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
THE VIRGIN SAINTS.
213
ill
poused to Jesus Christ, and intend to preserve my vir-
ginity; and even now, an angel of the Lord stands by my
side, as my protector and defender." Though astonished
and disappointed at first, the youthful pagan entered into
himself, became a convert, and was baptized. His brother
Tiburtius, and their mutual friend Maximus, followed his
example. Cecilia was very soon afterwards dragged to
martyrdom, and died triumphant on the 22d of Novem-
ber, 230.
St. Catharina
Like St. Cecilia in the department of music, St. Catha-
rine of Alexandria has for centuries been honored in the
Church as the patroness of Christian science; another evi-
dence of the sincere, genuine sympathy of the Church for
all true knowledge.
The following account will explain why this Saint and
virgin was selected to be the patroness of science. One
day, while the Emperor Maximinus was holding a grand
and solemn festival at Alexandria in honor of the heathen
deities, suddenly a fair young maiden emerged from the
assembled multitude, anc' taking her stand before the
throne spoke to them in words of such fervid eloquence
and profound knowledge and wisdom against the absurdity
of worshipping false gods, and in favor of the one true God,
that neither the emperor nor any one of his assembled
philosophers could reply. This intrepid virgin was St.
Catharine. Without delay the emperor summoned the
most distinguished philosophers in Alexandria, and others
well versed in religious science, to refute the Saint. But
they signally failed. Nay, more, at the convincing argu-
ments of Catharine, the cloud of darkness was lifted from
their understanding; her words penetrated their hearts;
they professed themselves disciples of Christ crucified.
Thus did Christian science, hand in hand with virginal
innocence and childlike simplicity, win the victory over
proud and self-sufficient worldly wisdom. St. Catharine
was, however, condemned to die a martyr's death. The
wheel on which she had been placed, having broken to
pieces without injuring her fair person, she was dispatched
with the sword on the 25th of November, 307.
Such are the nine choirs of Christ's chosen ones, in
whom he manifests the beauty and glory of his holiness.
212
CHRIST IN HIg CHURCH.
1
poused to Jesus Christ, and intend to preserve my vir-
ginity; and even now, an angel of the Lord stands by my
side, as my protector and defender." Though astonished
and disappointed at first, the youthful pagan entered into
himself, became a convert, and was baptized. His brother
Tiburtius, and their mutual friend Maximus, followed his
example. Cecilia was very soon afterwards dragged to
martyrdom, and died triumphant on the 22d of Novem-
ber, 230.
St. Catharine.
Like St. Cecilia in the department of music, St. Catha-
rine of Alexandria has for centuries been honored in the
Church as the patroness of Christian science; another evi-
dence of the sincere, genuine sympathy of the Church for
all true knowledge.
The following account will explain why this Saint and
virgin was selected to be the patroness of science. One
day, while the Emperor Maximinus was holding a grand
and solemn festival at Alexandria in honor of the heathen
THE VIRGIN SAINTS.
213
deities, suddenly a fair young maiden emerged from the
assembled multitude, and taking her stand before the
throne spoke to them in words of such fervid eloquence
and profound knowledge and wisdom against the absurdity
of worshipping false gods, and in favor of the one true God,
that neither the emperor nor any one of his assembled
philosophers could reply. This intrepid virgin was St.
Catharine. Without delay the emperor summoned the
most distinguished philosophers in Alexandria, and others
well versed in religious science, to refute the Saint. But
they signally failed. Nay, more, at the convincing argu-
ments of Catharine, the cloud of darkness was lifted from
their understanding; her words penetrated their hearts;
they professed themselves disciples of Christ crucified.
Thus did Christian science, hand in hand with virginal
innocence and childlike simplicity, win the victory over
proud and self-suflScient worldly wisdom. St. Catharine
was, however, condemned to die a martyr's death. The
wheel on which she had been placed, having broken to
pieces without injuring her fair person, she was dispatched
with the sword on the 25th of November, 307.
Such are the nine choirs of Christ's chosen ones, in
whom he manifests the beauty and glory of his holiness.
l|
I
CHAPTER VIIL
THE HISTORY OF HERESY AND ITS
AGGRESSIONS.
CHBIST IiPrSS IN HIS CHURCH AS THE DERIDED AND
DESPISED ONE.
I
64. Nature and Origin of Heresy.
" There must also be heresies: that they also who are approved,
may be made manifest among you." — 1 Corinthians xi. 19.
AS Jesus Christ is the light that came into the world
to enlighten its darkness, should not all men turn
towards that light with joy and gladness? As he came into
the world for the purpose of overthrowing the idols of error
and superstition, who would dare to stretch out his hand
to restore these fallen gods? Since the truth preached by
Jesus came from heaven, yea, from the very bosom of the
eternal Father himself, should not all men cheerfully and
unconditionally acknowledge and accept it? Alas! so it
should be; so it could be. But we are too well aware that
the Jews, even in the time of Christ, loved darkness bet-
ter than light; that Jews and heathens alike used every
effort at the outset, to rephice upon their altars the false
gods overthrown by Jesus Christ, and lost no opportunity
to oppose and combat his teachings. When he spoke of
his divinity, and consubstantiality with the Father, they
charged him with blasphemy. When he asserted that he
was older than Abraham, they sought to stone him. When
he discoursed to them on the bread of eternal life, and
NATURE AND ORIGIN OF HERESY.
216
proposed the institution of the blessed Sacrament of the
altar, they treated his promise as an impossible one, and
turned their backs upon him and his doctrine. They
either denied his miracles, or, as they were stubborn facts
well known to the people, endeavored to explain them
away or attribute them to some evil power.
If, then, our beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
was despised to such an extent, at the very time when he was
perfecting visibly among men the great mystery of man's
redemption, we must not wonder that his holy Church,
the teacher of all nations, should have been despised, and
her teachings denied and rejected in after times. Christ
still lives in his Church; but he lives, and he will live,
till the great day of judgment, " a sign that shall be con-
tradicted."
As during his actual life upon earth, the human intel-
lect will be ever unable to grasp the profound mysteries of
his religion, and will therefore rise in proud and blind
rebellion against his doctrines. It will always be as easy
to find a pretext for doubting and denying, as it was in
his own time. As in those days, the human heart will
always be inclined to evil, and will therefore be ever ready
to controvert the truth of those doctrines which inculcate
humility, obedience, and self-control. In all ages, as well
as in the days of Christ, will the human conscience
endeavor to quiet itself, and justify its unbelief. As then,
so will proud men ever entertain feelings of envy and
hatred towards those who demand belief in the doctrines
of an invisible master; and the more so, when these repre-
sentatives of the spiritual are blameless in their own lives.
Such is the origin of all heresy.
The history of heresy presents a sad picture to our
view. Alas! how senseless must that man be, who sits in
judgment on the truth brought down from heaven by the
Son of God; the truth which he confirmed by miracles and
sealed with his blood; the truth in whose defence millions
216
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
HERESIES CONCERNING CREATION.
217
of the holiest men sacrificed their lives; on the truth in
whose possession the noblest and most intelligent persons
have found peace in life and consolation in death! How
lamentable the fate of the millions, who through the
stubborn pride of heresiarchs, have been kept away from
the well-springs of truth, from the source of grace and
hfe, from Christ and his Church! And yet it may be
salutary and useful for us. Christians, to cast a glance at
this sad history of heresy and heretics. In the midst of
the unholy conflicts stirred up by these unbelieving men,
we shall see Jesus Christ, the great leader, in his sublime
majesty and dignity, defending his Church against the
powers of hell; rallying his faithful forces to her defence,
enlightening them, strengthening "hem, inspiring them;
thus covering his Church with the grand shield composed
of his fathers of the Church and his holy councils; and
bringing forth from the fires of persecution kindled by
heretics, the gold of divine truth more bright and beauti-
ful than ever.
65. Heresies Concerning Creation.
GNOSTICISM.
•' Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." — Romans
i. 22.
Among the several species of heresy that afflicted the
Church, there were four of very grave importance, for
they were directed against the four principal articles of
faith; namely, the creation of the world, the blessed Trin-
ity, the divine-human person of Christ, and divine grace.
In opposition to the teachings of the Church on crea-
tion, the Gnostics rose and lived during the first three
centuries. These heretics, although priding themselves
on their superior wisdom, and despising the simple faith
of the Christians, fell into the most ridiculous absurdities.
Thus, it seemed to them impossible that God, a sublime
and infinite Spirit, should have created rough and chaotic
matter. They maintained that the material composing
the earth had, like God himself, existed from all eternity;
that out of God had emanated a second and somewhat
inferior spirit; and out of this one, a third spirit; still less
perfect; and so on for a long generation, each spirit being
less and less good, less and less wise, till at last one came
who rebelled against God and sought to setup a separate and
independent kingdom of his own. With this view he took
possession of chaotic matter, and formed the world, with its
three natural kingdoms of earth, fire, and water. The mate-
rial world therefore, deriving its origin from a finite and
evil spirit, all matter, or temporal creation, must be of
itself evil and sinful. They taught that the man who is
desirous of reaching and of being united to God, must
abstain as much as possible from all bodily or material
things, especially from the gratification of the senses, from
wine and marriage; and that for this reason Jesus Christ,
himself one of the lower spirits or emanations from the
supreme God, had no real body, but only an imaginary
one.
These heretics mixed up these and similar absurdities
with maxims from the holy Scriptures, and from the books
of pagan philosophy; and flattered themselves that they
were in secure possession of perfect truth. Their system
of morality was very austere ; but the lives of most of
them were dishonest and vicious.
The most remarkable upholders of Gnosticism were
Cerinthus, Basilides, Valentine, Marcion, and Manes the
Persian. The last was the author of Manichaeism. Their
errors were combated and refuted by the Apostles John and
Paul,* by the first disciples of the Apostles, and by the
* Thus St. Paul had these heretics in his mind, when, in the
4th chapter of his first Epistle to Timothy, he warns him against
apostates, who forbid marriage and the use of certain meats. If the
:^18
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
earliest Fathers of the Church, all of whom kept special
watch lest the true teachings of the Church should be in
the least degree changed or tainted by these absurd opin-
ions.
66. Heresies against the Blessed Trinity.
ARIANISM.
** The god of this world hath blinded the minds of unbelievers,
that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God, should not shine unto them."— 2 Corinthians iv. 4.
The doctrine of the holy Trinity was assailed as early
as the third century. Among its opponents were Paul of
Samosata, Beryllus of Bostra, the African priest Sabel-
lius, and othpj-s more or less known. These heretics main-
tained that there is but one person in God, although this
person reveals himself in a threefold manner as Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. Arius, a priest of Alexandria,
undertook to combat and controvert this error, but fell
himself into the opposite error. In his attempt to prove
the Trinity, he destroyed the Unity of divine Being, and
taught that the Son of God is distinct from the Father,
not only in person, but also in nature; that he is not
generated from the substance of the Father, but created
out of nothing, and therefore is not co-eternal nor equal to
the Father, but is merely the first and most excellent of
his creatures. Thus we see that Arius is the father of the
so-called reason-believing people of our own day, the
rationalists, who deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. God
Church has forbidden the priests to marry, and prohibited all the
faithful to eat flesh meat on forbidden days, it is not because she
considers marriage wrong or flesh meat injurious, but because she
knows that such abstinence from marriage, or from the use of flesh
meat, when practised out of love for God, is good and salutary to
the soul.
HERESIES AGAINST THE BLESSED TRINITY. 219
raised up in the person of St. Athanasius, that holy Doc-
tor of the Church, a formidable adversary, a glorious con-
fessor and defender of the truth against Arius, whose
errors were formally and solemnly condemned in the Gen-
eral Council of Nice, in 325. However, God permitted
Arianism to spread over a large part of Christendom, and
for 300 years to disaffect many peoples, partly by the crafti-
ness and hypocrisy of its teachers, but chiefly by the
St. Athanasius.
influence of the imperial court, which had banished St.
Athanasius.
Allied with this heresy was that of Macedonius, which
taught that the Holy Ghost was not of the same nature or
essence as the Father, but less than either Father or Son.
This sin of blasphemy against th^ Holy Ghost was con-
demned in the Council of Constantinople, held in 381.
-^18
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
earliest Fathers of the Church, all of whom kept special
watch lest the true teachings of the Church should be in
the least degree changed or tainted by these absurd opin-
ions.
66. Heresies against the Blessed Trinity.
ABIANISM.
"The god of this world hath bliuded the minds of unbelievers,
that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God, should not shine unto them."— 2 Corinthians iv. 4
The doctrine of the holy Trinity was assailed as early
as the third century. Among its opponents were Paul of
Samosata, Beryllus of Bostra, the African priest Sabel-
lius, and othpis more or less known. These heretics main-
tained that there is but one person in God, although this
person reveals himself in a threefold manner as Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. Arius, a priest of Alexandria,
undertook to combat and controvert this error, but fell
himself into the opposite error. In his attempt to prove
the Trinity, he destroyed the Unity of divine Being, and
taught that the Son of God is distinct from the Father,
nut only in person, but also in nature; that he is not
generated from the substance of the Father, but created
out of nothing, and therefore is not co-eternal nor equal to
the Father, but is merely the first and most excellent of
his creatures. Thus we see that Arius is the father of the
so-called reason-believing people of our own day, the
rationalists, who deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. God
Church has forbidden the priests to marry, and prohibited all the
faithful to eat flesh meat on forbidden days, it is cot because she
considers marriage wrong or flesh meat injurious, but because she
knows that such abstinence from marriage, or from the use of flesh
meat, when practised out of love for God, is good and salutary to
the soul.
HERESIES AGAINST THE BLESSED TRINITY. 219
raised up in the person of St. Athanasius, that holy Doc-
tor of the Church, a formidable adversary, a glorious con-
fessor and defender of the truth against Arius, whose
errors were formally and solemnly condemned in the Gen-
eral Council of Nice, in 325. However, God permitted
Arianism to spread over a large part of Christendom, and
for 300 years to disaffect many peoples, partly by the crafti-
ness and hypocrisy of its teachers, but chiefly by the
influence of the imperial court, which had banished St.
Athanasius.
Allied with this heresy was that of Macedonius, which
taught that the Holy Ghost was not of the same nature or
essence as the Father, but less than either Father or Son.
This sin of blasphemy against th^ Holy Ghost was con-
demned in the Council of Constantinople, held in 381.
220
CHRIST m HIS CHURCH.
HERESIES CONCERNING GRACE.
221
67. Heresies against the Divine Person of Jesus
Christ.
NESTORIANISM.
"Is Christ divided?"—! Corinthians i. 13.
One hundred years after Arius, Nestorius, patriarch of
Constantinople, rose up against the Catholic doctrine con-
cerning the unity of the person of Christ. He treated the
mystery of the intimate and inseparable union of the two
natures in Clirist, of the divine nature and human, as
absurd and untrue; and taught that in Christ there are
two persons, a divine and a human person, and that as
Mary had given birth to the human person only, she there-
fore must not be styled the Mother of God. In the year
428 he first preached this heresy publicly in Constantinople.
The consternation and sorrow of the laity were indescrib-
able, on being told from the pulpit that they were no longer
to address the Blessed Virgin as Mother of God. ** And
how," they inquired, " if the human and divine natures
are not inseparably united in Christ, if only the human
nature of Christ suffered and died on the cross, how can
we be saved? What value can the sacrifice so offered on
Calvary have for our redemption?" This heresy was
opposed and refuted by several bishops and priests, but
especially by the holy Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria; and
in the third General Council, held at Ephesus, it was
formally condemned.
The Abbot Eutyches fell into the opposite error. In
his imprudent zeal to refute Nestorius, he advanced the
erroneous theory that the human nature in Christ is so
closely united with the divine nature, that it is absorbed
in the latter, so that Wte can predicate but one nature in
Christ, which is the divine. He did not reflect, that if
the human nature of Christ is eliminated, he cannot be
pur brother, aAd hence canpot be our Redeemer. Against,
this error, and those who maintained and defended it,
called Moriophysts, St. Leo the Great fought with the zeal
and ability of an apostle. It was condemned m the year
451 by the fourth General Council of Chalcedon.
68. Heresies Concerning Grace.
PELAGIANISM.
•*I can do all things in him who strengthencth me.— For it is
God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish, according
to his good will."— Philippians ii. 13, and iv. 13.
About the same time, the British monk Pelagius, in
Rome, and afterwards in Carthage, assailed the Christian
doctrines on grace, and on free-will in man: elevating the
latter too high and destroying the former. Like the ra-
tionalists of our times, this misguided monk taught, fifteen
hundred years ago, that Adam's sin inflicted no injury
upon his descendants, that consequently there is no origi-
nal sin, that baptism is not necessary to salvation, and that
man has within himself so much moral force that he can
lead a virtuous life— pleasing to God and meritorious of
heaven— without the aid of grace. The chief adversary
of this heresy was St. Augustine. This pious and learned
Doctor of the Church defended, against the Pelagians, the
necessity of supernatural grace; and against the Mani-
chseans the free exercise of the will in man. All our
virtue and holiness can proceed only from the union of the
divine and human; that is, from heaven's grace combined
with free co-operation in man. It is divine grace that
gives freedom, vitality, and strength to the human will,
wounded and weakened as it is by Adam's sin, and renders
it capable of genuine supernatural virtue. These ancient
doctrines of St. Augustine were ratified in several Councils,
and the errors of the Pelagians were again solemnly and
formally condemned in the third General Council at
Ephesus.
I
222 OHBIST IN HIS CHUBCH.
69. Iconoclasm.
" You shall not make to yourselves any graven thing to adore it."
—Leviticus xxvi. 1.
Towards the close of Christian antiquity, a diflBculty
arose in the Eastern Church regarding pictures and images.
Away back in **the days of the martyrs," when the Chris-
tians were as yet compelled to celebrate the sacred mys-
teries, secretly, in the Catacombs, they used to set up
pious images for their edification and consolation. This
practice was founded in the very spirit of Christianity.
Therefore, when Serenus, bishop of Marseilles, cast out all
the images from his Cathedral, under the pretence of pre-
venting divine honors being paid to them, the Pope, St.
Gregory the Great, wrote to him as follows: *' Thou shouldst
not have destroyed what was intended, not indeed for
worship, bat for the instruction of the unlettered in your
church. To adora a picture is quite another thing from
learning, by that picture, the mystery which we are to
adore. For, what writing is to the educated, a picture is
for those who cannot read, for in it they can see and know
the course they have to follow." In the Oriental Church
some injudicious persons in that part of the world had
been guilty of showing too much reverence towards images,
and this fact furnished a pretext to the Greek emperor,
Leo the Isaurian, in the year 727, to forbid all veneration
to images as being idolatrous. The conflict, then begun,
lasted nearly one hundred and twenty years; during which
time many of the emperors forgot all care for the worldly
welfare of their subjects, in order to meddle in Church
affairs, and by repeated imperial orders, fines, and penalties
endeavored to root out the lawful and ancient veneration
of images. The pious empresses Irene and Theodora
interested themselves in upholding this unduly disparaged
ancient Christian custom, and the seventh and eighth
THE GREEK SCHISM.
223
I
General Councils, at Nice and Constantinople, defended
the veneration, but not the adoration, of images, as some-
thing lawful, and extremely useful to the Christian people.
70. The Greek Schism.
•♦The veil of the temple was rent in two, from the top even to
the bottom."— Matthew xxvii. 51.
During the middle ages, three violent storms swept
over the Church, threatening its unity and tearing many
of her children from her motherly bosom. These were the
Greek schism, the Manichaean fanaticism of the thirteenth
century, and the aggressions of the restless, mischievous
Hussites.
The author of the Greek schism which separated the
Eastern or Greek Church from the mother Church at
Home, was Photius. This designing man, supported by
the intrigues and power of the imperial court, assumed
the patriarchal chair of Constantinople in 858. At first he
sought, by flattery and bribes, to obtain the recognition of
the Pope. Failing in this, he threw off the mask, and had
the audacity to condemn the Roman Church as having
departed from the faith and discipline of the Fathers.
This hypocritical pretender, after being deposed by Leo
VI., died in the year 891. The fires of this dispute con-
tinued to slumber till 1043, when the ambitious Michael
Cerularius having been raised to the patriarchate of Con-
stantinople, the flames again burst forth with fresh fury.
This proud prelate repeated the charges of Photius against
Rome, and so far succeeded in deceiving and stirring up
the people that the revolt soon ended in the complete
separation of the Eastern Church from the Roman or
Western Church. Ever since that unhappy occurrence,
the Popes and the bishops assembled in all the General
Councils, have been untiring in their efforts to bring back
j
I <i
224
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
the schismatics to the unity of the Church. But although
these efforts sometimes promised happy results, and al-
though some individual bishops have returned (United
Greeks), yet the gulf between the mother Church and her
schismatical children yawns as wide and as gloomy as ever.
The Greek Church, once so fruitful in learned Doctors and
holy saints, lies dead now like a dry branch broken from
the vine. The same curse of religious Caesarism, or impe-
rial supremacy and tyranny over the Church, the same
desolating blight brought about by the early emperors of
Constantinople — which unlucky city fell into the hands of
the Mohammedan Turks in 1453— still sits brooding over
the unhappy Greek Church ; and the supreme power, reli-
gious as well as civil, is vested in the hands of the irrespon-
sible Bussian Czar.
71. The Albigenses and Gatherers.
*• When they had stood up against Moses and Aaron, they said:
Let it be enough for you that all the multitude consisteth of holy
ones, and the Lord is among them; why lift you up yourselves above
the people of the Lord? And immediately the earth broke asunder
under ther feet, and devoured them, with their tents and all their
substances!" — Numbers xvi.
Hardly five hundred years after this unhappy event
in the East, the Western Church was overrun and sorely
afflicted by the fanatical Gatherers and Albigenses. These
were not two distinct sects of heretics, but rather a mix-
ture of the Manichaeans and Gnostics, who sprang into
existence in Southern France and Spain, at the beginning
of the thirteenth century. On account of their pompous
pretensions to virtue, they were styled Purists, or Puritans,
and sometimes Albigenses, from their chief stronghold,
Albi in the south of France.
They rejected all the Christian fundamental truths
concerning the creation of the world, the incarnation of
THE ALBIGENSES AND GATHERERS.
225
Christ, and his resurrection ; all exterior worship, and
especially marriage. They taught that it was not the
God of light who created the world, but the god of dark-
ness—Jehova. The men, therefore, descended from this .
god are, of their nature, enemies of light. But the God
of light sent his chief angel, Jesus, into the world, with
an imaginary body, in order to free men from the slavery
of Jehova and his ten commandments. These freedmen
formed a superior class of beings, and to them only is
obedience due; for they alone live in the strictest detach-
ment from corporeal life. Every one who promises to
join this sect before his death, may meanwhile enjoy all
pleasures ; observing no commandments, especially those
emanating from Jehova, who is styled by these heretics
the god of darkness. ^
Such abominable theories, if reduced to practice, would
have destroyed the foundations, not only of the Church,
but also of the State. As the kindness and instruction
vouchsafed to them by Pope Innocent III. were in vain,
as the spiritual crusade of preaching and of the Rosary
carried on by St. Dominic and his monks did not com-
pletely eradicate this heresy, as these rebels dared to lay
violent hands upon the person of the papal legate, Peter
of Casselnau, killing him while he was preaching on the
15th of January, 1209, it became necessary to resort to
forcible means of subjugation. A body of soldiers, led by
Count Simon of Montford, marched against them, and a
number of cruel and sanguinary battles were fought.
About the year 1229 the Inquisition came into existence,
and handed these heretics over to the chastising hands of
the civil power, as disturbers and mischief-makers danger-
ous to society.
!v1
1
226 CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
72. The Hussites.
•• As Sodom and Gomorrha, in like manner, these men also were
made an example, who defile the flesh, and despise domination, and
blaspheme majesty." — Jude i.
Many other discontented and disappointed individuals
allied themselves in these ages with the Albigenses, find-
ing fault and creating disturbance in the Church and in
society generally. The outward splendor of the Church,
the princely magnificence and wealth of some few prelates,
together with the disedifying lives of some few individ-
uals among the clergy, scandalized many a well-minded
person, who m his short-sightedness and prejudiced vision
was unable to discern the exception from the general rule,
the accidental from the essential and real. Persons thus
affected easily fell a prey to the temptation of doubt,
insubordination, and positive disobedience to the authority
of the Church. In their blindness, they could not see
beyond the surface of things, and fancied to themselves
that the spirit of Christ had deserted the inner life of
Christianity. They conceived a hatred and contempt for
the Church, its ordinances, and even its mode of worship ;
and wished, or affected, to be altogether internal and
purely spiritual, in order to become more intimately united
with Jesus Christ and with the life beyond the grave ;
hence they gradually became immersed in the perilous
quagmire of a false mysticism.*
Such was the fate of the Waldenses of the twelth cen-
* Mysticism is the doctrine whereby man learns to become closely
united with Christ, and elevated to a higher plane of truth and
grace, by the practice of prayer, contemplation, fasting, and the like.
If this theory were strictly carried out, to the exclusion of other
means of sanctification, such as learning, study, hearing of sermons,
obedience to Church precepts, etc., it would lead to false mysticism.
And this, after raising man aloft to the highest pinnacle of spiritual
pride, invariably plunges him into the depths of sensuality.
THE HUSSITES.
227
tury ; of the Brethren and Sisters of Liberty or of the free
spirit, and of the Apostolic Brethren in the thirteenth
century. John Wickliffe of England belonged to these
restless mischief-makers. He railed vociferously against
the temporal possessions of the Church, against the Pope ;
and, like the Protestants of the Reformation, he taught
that every reader of the holy Scripture was an infallible
interpreter of its meaning, and supreme judge in matters
of faith. He died in the year 1384, but his writings were
multiplied and widely circulated by John Huss, the Bohe-
mian heretic. This man taught that some nien are
destired by God from all eternity for happiness, and these
cannot help but be saved ; that others are predestined to
eternal perdition, and cannot escape it. Only the elect,
or predestined, can be members of the Church ; they only
can be heads of Church or State: whilst to the others,
obedience is not to be given. Huss was therefore danger-
ous to Church and government. With a letter of safe-
conduct from the emperor Sigismund, this heretic
appeared before the Gei.eral Council at Constance. Here
the princes and the bishops, in the most friendly manner,
tried to persuade him, by entreaty and explanation, to
renounce his absurd yet dangerous ^«^;«««' ^J^^^^^^"' '";;"
God's Church from a dreadful scandal. But this proud
and obstinate man withstood both entreaty and threat,
and was burnt to death, at Constance, on the 6th of July,
in the year 1415, as a heretic and disturber of the public
peace.*
. It is untrue to allege that the Church, in ^e Council of Con-
»,ance put Huss to death. The Council did nothing but its duty ,
name!; o adjudgehim guilty of heresy, to deprive him of h.s office
and o excommunicate I'm from the fold of the Church He now
hecame amenable to the civil co»rts, as a disturber of «- Pub^c
peace. These pronounced his sentence, and executed "• 1^0"^ «'«
bishoDS of the Council, accordmg to the testimony of Ulrich Reich-
elar-bo ^as an ey;-witness, petitioned King Sigismund and the
Judges to spare Huss's life.
\\
*y
aea^
228
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
Some of the Bohemian nobility, under pretext of aveng-
ing Huss, and of demanding the reception of communioii
under both kinds, inaugurated against King Sigismund
the dreadful Hussite war, which was ended only after
twenty years of carnage, by thft complete defeat of the
Hussite heretics.
73. The Reformation, so-called.— Its Causes.
*' I wonder that you are so soon removed from him that called
you unto the grace of Christ, unto another gospel; which is not
another; only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert
the gospel of Christ."— Galatians i. 6, 7.
As we leave the middle ages and enter into modern
times, we encounter, in the early part of the sixteenth
century, three men who undertook to reform the Church
of Christ. These men, while claiming to remodel and
improve the work of our Lord, have in truth broken it
into fragments, and severed from the centre of unity
several nations of Christendom. These so-called reform-
ers were Luther, Zwinglius, and Calvin.
How did this dismal and unhappy division take place ?
How was it possible that so large a part of the Catholic
people in Germany, Switzerland, France, England, and
other countries tore themselves away from the bosom of
the Mother Church, to whose kindly and motherly care
and labors these nations were indebted for their Christi-
anity, and therefore for their* civilization and prosperity?
Some superficial and insincere person might answer:
"The scandalous traffic in indulgences introduced into
Germany by the Dominican monk, John Tetzel, was the
cause of the dismemberment of the Church. For it was
this circumstance that opened the eyes of the hitherto
deluded people, and made them discover the avarice and
hypocrisy of the Papacy." But the announcement of
grants of indulgences, for useful purposes, or for some com-
THE REFOKMATION.— ITS CAUSES.
229
mon good, was nothing new in the ears 0 the Ca hohc
public Moreover, history has made it frtam, that this
Tetzel was not at all guilty of the scandabus absurdit.e
which in later times have been attributed to him ^or
was he a rude fanatic, but rather an intelligent and edu-
"''iragain it is insolently alleged that down to the
time of Luther the Catholic people were ^^^f^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
est ignorance, that they had grown up for he most pai t
withL school instruction, that the clergy had neglec^^^^^^
preaching and religious instruction, and that the Bible
Ls a thin- altogether unknown to the people But
Theri Lit, by fhe establishment of schools for the peo-
1 diffused education far and wide ; but more especially
when by the translation of the Bible, he made the people
iaint'ed, for the first time, with this holy rule o^^^^^^^
and announced the original gospel truth; ^l^^n did the
people at last discover the great contradiction between
E'pure doctrine of the gospel, and the teachings of the
Catholic Church. Hence they turned away with enthu-
siasm to follow the new religon.
But all this is as untrue as it is ridiculous Before
Luther was born, schools for the people f-^^^;^f f .
native country. And it was the Church too, tl^a^^^^^^^^^^
anxious mother, had provided these schools ^oi J^er chi^
dren When we read in the old prayer-book wh ch was
in use among the laity at that time and Previous ^he M^
lowing instruction for the head of a family, "Hear, on
sTndfy, the word of God diligently; attend the sermons
Tn the morning and in the afternoon, lay the -rd of God
seriously to heart," we learn from all this that preax^h-
:; and religious instruction were not by -T -~
wofuUy neglected as some would pretend. In the citi^
InlJger villages many endowments had ^ -t^^^^^^
for the special maintenance of preachers of the word of
God. In the city of Nuremburg thirteen sermons weie
280
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
preached every Sunday in the various churches. More-
over, long before the sham Reformation, there were in the
hands of the German people a large number of catechisms
and other books of religious instruction.
Finally, as regards the Bible, long before the time of
Luther, at least twenty different editions of the entire
Scriptures in the vulgar tongue had been published,
some with and some without explanatory notes and com-
ment.
We must therefore go look somewhere else for the
causes of the great falling away from the Church at the
time of the Reformation. We shall find them in the
civil disorders and disturbances and corruptions of those
ages.
For some time previous, many of the German princes,
great and small, had declared their independence of the
German emperor. Of these many had become greedy and
exacting, and very despotic and cruel to their subjects.
Instead of the ancient and well-tried German code
of laws, another system had been introduced, namely, the
old pagan Roman code. By this change the common
people were subjected to injustice, losses, disadvantages,
and made very discontented. The great wealth which
the Church, by the generosity of her children and by her
own care and industry, had gathered together, excited
the covetousness of the princes and the governments.
Princely and noble families often seized violently upon
high Church dignities and oflBcers for their unworthy,
indolent, shiftless sons, who, having no fitness for the
positions and no vocation from heaven, often gave the
most shocking scandals. The unbelieving free spirits of
that time, the so-called Humanists of the younger school,
availed themselves of these scandals to arouse the hitherto
contented people, by ridicule and hatred against the
Church. Meanwhile the politicians broached again the
old Roman doctrine Caesareopapism ; that is to say, they
i
CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT TEACHINGS. 231
taught that temporal princes have a right to govern and
control the Church as well as the State.
Su , manifold doubt, disquiet, and discontentment
had"!; possession of the minds of the Peop^^^^^^^^^^
for the unfortunate priests who rebelled -|-^f^^^^^
mother Church, it became an easy task to lead the people
rstray And Wherever the mass of the people wished to
rS true to the old Church their despoUc and avan-
cious rulers, who meanwhile had ^PP-P"^^^^^^^^^
selves the rights and the property of the Church cairiea
ttm away violently into the vortex of secession, then into
schism, and finally heresy.
■i (
7A The Difference between Catholic and Protes-
tant Teachings.
■• But though an angel from heaven preach a gospel to you
...idfstlt with we Je preached to you. let hin. he anathema.
— Galatians i. 8.
The opposition to the Church was directed in the begin^
»i„g, by the self-styled reformers to outwa.-d th.ng and
to veitlble abuses. But the obtuseness of *!-"■. ntellect^
the pride of their hearts, and the dangerous flattciy
Stowed upon them by the great ones of th-s worid led
them further and further in the.r mad career, 1 11 they
ScLid false pHnciples which threatened to und—
the doctrines of the Catho he Church. J'^;;^;;,^^^
themselves agreed, even in the.r errors ; fo. they disputed
with each other in most violent and pass.^a a«.
These conflicts are still going on among then respective
flwers. In our day, when unbelief is spreading fa and
-.vide ; when believing Protestants and ""^'^I'^^S f'"*!'^
tants are diverging farther and farther from each o^^^^^^^^^
fpachines of the former, at least as far as they fall short ot
£ tXU be expressed in the following propositions:
232
CHEIST IN HIS CHUECH.
i
1. " The Bible is the ground and source of all Chris-
tian faith; and every man who reads this book with good
will, and lives accordingly, will participate in all truth
and grace in Christ."
Catholic faith, on the contrary, teaches us that Christ
did not leave his children depending upon the leaden
types of a book, but referred them to his Apostles and
their lawful successors; that he did not appoint a written
or i)rinted book to be the infallible guide of mankind, but
founded for that purpose a living and a speaking infallible
Church; and that she alone enjoys the authority and
power to explain and impart to men the true meaning of
the Bible, and the sense of oral and written tradition. The
Bible has always been recognized and used by Catholics,
in so far as it goes, as a duplicate on parchment of the
doctrines which our Saviour had inscribed with a pencil of
divine fire, in characters of living faith, on the heart of
the Church.
2. *' Faith alone is sufficient for salvation." The Cath-
olic Church, on the contrary, teaches us that Christ
requires from his followers, not only faith, but exacts also
as a necessary condition to salvation works of Christian
charity produced by faith.
3. *' Christ alone is a priest forever, and therefore his
Church needs no priesthood, but merely learned men to
preach the word of God, and to maintain Church disci-
pline among believers." The Catholic Church, on the
other hand, teaches that Christ in his quality of high-
priest communicated his priestly plenitude and power to
the Apostles and their successors, and gave them a com-
mission and authority, not only to preach his doctrine,
but also to renew, in an unbloody manner, his ever-blessed
sacrifice, and also to administer the sacraments and to
dispense blessings in his name.
4. " The Church of Christ needs no head but Jesus
Christ, and has no other." On the other hand, the CathO'
I
CATHOLIC AND PKOTESTANT TEACHINGS. 233
lie Church teaches that Christ has appointed St. Peter,
and his lawful successor the Pope, to be his visible repre-
sentative and the chief head of the Church, the centre of ^
Christian unity, and the infallible teacher of the truths of
faith. .
5. " There are but two Sacraments : baptism and the
Lord's Supper." The Catholic Church maintains that
Christ ordained seven Sacraments, which have been dis-
pensed to men from the beginning of Christianity.
6. " Christians have no other sacrifice than the bleed-
ing sacrifice of our Lord on the cross." The Catholic
Church holds that this bleeding sacrifice of the cross must,
in obedience to Christ's command at the last supper, be
renewed in an unbloody manner in the mass till the end of
time, as the predicted clean oblation of bread and wine,
according to the order of Melchisedech.
7. **As God wishes to be worshipped in spirit and
truth, no images and but few ceremonies are to be allowed
when we worship him." The Catholic Church teaches
that pious cymbols, and significant and sacred ceremonies,
awaken and" assist interior devotion and worship to God,
and therefore may be employed in the practice of our
religion.
8. " I^or the pardon of his sins, the sinner needs nothing
more than faith in the atonement by Christ, and a firm
resolution to amend his own life." On the contrary, the
Catholic Church teaches that Christ commissioned the
Apostles and their successors to absolve penitent sinners
from their sins, when with the necessary conditions and
dispositions they have revealed them in confession.
9. '' The Lord's Supper is only a symbol and sacred
memorial of the atoning death of Jesus Christ." On the
contrary, the Catholic Church teaches that in the blessed
Sacrament of the altar, the real promised Bread of Life,
Jesus Christ himself, is really and truly present.
}0. **To God alone are adoratiop, prayer, and praise
234
CHKIST m HIS CHURCH.
to be offered ; therefore it is an unchristian practice to
pray to Mary and the other saints. " The Catholic Church
holds that it is a useful, reasonable, and salutary practice
to venerate Mary and the other saints, and to beg their
intercession for us before the throne of God.
11. ''Beyond the grave there are but two places:
heaven and hell." The Catholic Church teaches that
there is a third place, called Purgatory, and therefore that
prayer and sacrifice should be offered for the souls of the
faithful departed.
Thus we see how far away from the old faith modern
heresy has gone, and how much those persons are to be
pitied who have turned away to the *' new gospel."
75. Martin Luther.
" Such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming tliem-
selves into the Apostles of Christ."— 3 Corinthians xi. 13.
Let us glance hastily at the history of the three un-
fortunate men who brought so much division, strife, con-
tention, and hatred into the once united and happy Chris-
tian family.
Martin Luther, the most learned, active and efficient
among the reformers, was born on the 10th of November,
1483, at Eisleben in Saxony, became an Augustinian
monk, and was, later, a priest and professor at Wittenberg.
During his lifetime, some monks, while preaching the
doctrine of indulgences in Germany, solicited from their
hearers some small offerings to aid in the erection of the
most glorious temple in Christendom, St. Peter's Church
at Rome. Luther found fault with the conduct of Tetzel,
one. of the preachers, and posted upon the door of All
Saints' Church in Wittenberg a written exposition of his
own individual views on indulgences, containing ninety-
five propositions. This happened on October 31st, 1517.
MARTII?^ LUTHEB.
235
The propositions created much excitement over all Europe,
and many well-meaning persons sympathized with the dar-
ing friar, whom they looked upon as a zealous opponent of
unchristian practices. Luther himself had no intention,
in the beginning, of separating from the Church ; for in
March, 1519, he wrote to Rome, that '* next to Christ, the
authority of the Pope was to him above everything in
heaven or earth." And a year later, he assured the em-
peror Charles V. that he wished to live and die a faithful and
obedient son of the Catholic Church. But the evil spirit of
contradiction had blinded him. Denying one Christian
truth after another, and falling under the ban of the Church,
he joined her enemies, and ridiculed, by speech and writing,
in the most opprobious terms, the teachings of Catholic
faith, its moral precepts and ancient practices; till finally,
in 1525, he trampled under foot his solemn vows of reli-
gion, and married Catharine Bora, herself an ex-nun.
With consummate cunning, Luther had recourse to the
aid of princes, governments, and the nobility, whose at-
tention he called to the wealth locked up in monasteries,
to the episcopal revenues, etc. At the same time he
preached the doctrine: the one hundredth part of the
present wealth of the Church is suflBcient for its support.
This artful policy of the man who once, at the altar, had
vowed undying fidelity to his Church, accomplished its
purpose. Many princes and governments joined him,
took possession of the Church property, and forced their
subjects into the new religion. Luther died in February,
1546, complaining that, to his own personal knowledge
and observation, the German people had become, since the
beginning of the new religion, more immoral, wicked, and
unprincipled than they had formerly been.
236 CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
76. Ulrich Zwingli.
'•Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"— Acts of
THE Apostles xix. 15.
Ulrich Zwingli was born January 1st, 1484, at Wild-
hausen in Switzerland; was ordained priest and appointed
pastor, first in Clarus and afterwards in Einsiedeln. Al-
though very learned, he was an unworthy pastor of souls,
for, according to his own avowal, he gave great scandal by
his unchaste manner of life. Yet, in 1518, lie was chosen
pastor at Zurich, where very soon, under the protection of
the government, he preached against the Pope, against his
worthy and pious bishop, Hugh of Constance, and against
the ancient doctrines of the Church. He ceased to cele-
brate mass, destroyed religious pictures, dispersed the reli-
gious communities, and married. In his religious contro-
versy at Zurich, on the 29th of January, 1523, Zwingli,
among other absurdities, uttered the following proposition :
" The so-called spiritual authority of the Church is not
founded on the teachings of Christ, but the civil authority
is. To the latter belong all the prerogatives to which the
clergy lay claim; to the same civil authority do men owe
exclusive submission." This was precisely the same dis-
honorable policy "which Luther adopted, in order to com-
pletely win over to himself the civil authorities, in order
with their help to force the success of his new departure.
Zwingli denied more strenuously and more absolutely
than Luther himself the doctrine of the real presence in
the Eucharist. He pretended to recognize in the Blessed
Sacrament only a figure or symbol of Christ, and a pious
commemoration of Him. His controversy on this doc-
trine with Luther, who wanted to retain that dogma, was
so coarse and bitter, that when Luther afterwards heard of
his death in the battle of Kappel, in 1531, he cried out
with delight: ** There is the end of the notoriety which he
JOHIS^ CALVIN.
237
endeavored to acquire by blaspheming against the Eucha-
rist. Now they will make Zwingli a martyr of Christ, in
order to fill their measure of blasphemy till it overflows."
Equally hostile to Luther were the adherents of Zwingli,.
and they styled Luther's short confession of faith so un-
clean, blasphemous, and diabolical a work, that it stood
unequalled in its infamy, and was a disgrace to Christi-
anity.
77. John Calvin.
"It must needs be that scandals come; but nevertheless, woe to
that man by whom the scandal cometh."— Matthew xviii. 7.
John Calvin, born on the 10th of July, 1509, at
Noyon, in France, was destined by his poor parents for
the Church. However, he did not take priests' orders,
but gave himself up to the pursuit of the positive sciences
and to the study of jurisprudence. Becoming acquainted,
in the University at Paris, with the principles of Luther-
anism, he began the study of the Holy Scriptures under
the direction of professors who were deeply infected with
that modern poison. At once he entered upon the de-
fence and advocacy of Lutheranism with such unmeasured
violence, that he soon saw himself compelled to leave
France. He went to Basel, in Switzerland, where he
remained a whole year, and completed his work on '^ii-
struction in the Christian Religion"— a book which his
adherents declared to be ''the most precious, next to the
gospels." In this book the sour and gloomy Calvin
introduced, together with Luther's innovations, his own
dismal doctrine of predestination, or foreordained fate.
'' One portion of men," says he, '' God has foreordained to
everlasting happiness, in order to manifest his mercy in
them. These are perfectly sure of their happiness, and
cannot be damned. All other men God has from all
eternity foreordained to damnation, in order to manifest
238
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
his justice in them. These, notwithstanding all their
efforts, cannot attain to salvation. In the reception of
the sacraments, they receive neither grace nor justifica-
tion."
From Basel, Calvin went, in the year 1536, to Geneva,
where he remained some time. Here this restless but
energetic man, by means of his great learning and iron
will, succeeded in pushing his way into the highest and
most exclusive society, both ecclesiastical and worldly,
where he forced his errors upon very many. This apos-
tolic advocate and defender of " Gospel liberty" composed
a creed, which all the inhabitants and subjects of Geneva
were forced to swear that they would follow. He perse-
cuted with the most persistent and inveterate hatred all
who did not agree witli his views in every particular.
He threw Bolsec the physician, Ameaux the senator,
Gentilis, and several others into prison, or had them
exiled. James Gruet he had several times put to the
torture, and finally beheaded. The unfortunate doctor,
Servetus, he burned to death at tlie stake. And all this
wicked cruelty because these persons held views different
from his own. He died on tlie 27th of May, 1564.
His heresies and Church ordinances forced their way
principally into France, Holland, England, and Scotland".
Lutheranism was confined mainly to Germany; while the
doctrines of Zwingli prevailed most in Switzerland.
78. The Effects of the Reformation.
" By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles?"— Matthew vii. 16.
Concerning the significance and the consequences of
the Reformation, we have the opinion of a very respect-
able man of that time, who at first greeted Luther's
movements with joy, because, like thousands of others, he
EFFECTS OF THE REFORMATION. 239
believed that his object was to remove certain abuses in
the Church, and to improve the morals of the people and
not as It soon proved to be, to change the very faith itself.
WeU and truly might this learned and admired Erasmus
of Rotterdam say to the Reformers: - What do you want
to do? You ask the world to despise and reject the tra-
ditions cherished by our fathers for centuries! Your new
gospel lacks everything: prophecies, miracles, virtue, learn-
ing, the sanction of scholars, the testimony of martyrs •
and yet you ask us to rush in and embrace this new gospel
of yours? You want to make us believe that the Church
was deprived of Christ for fourteen hundred years, and
that while the bridegroom slept, the bride worshipped
strange and false gods! There is no greater misfortune
than to fall away from the Church. If you gather to-
gether all the sins of luxury, pride, avarice, and every
other vice which is charged to the priest, the many-
headed monster of all these vices would be nothing in
ugliness to the monstrous crime of secession from the
Church. The Apostles abstained from marriage • or if
married before their calling, lived with their wives 'as
brother with sister, in order the more fully to devote them-
selves to the cause of Christ. Now a new gospel has come
into full bloom, according to which priests and monks
may violate their solemn vows and enter into matrimony.
Of old, the gospel used to transform wild, wicked, and
unruly men into peaceful lambs. But the followers of our
new gospel become savages, rob, curse their benefactors,
and preach rebellion to lawful authority. I see new
hypocrites, new despots ; but not a footprint of the Holy
^pirit. Show me one man who has been made better by
this new gospel. I, for my part, have not seen one who
has not become, on embracing the new opinions, a worse
man than he was before, if possible. Wherever this new
gospel prevails, learning falls to the ground, and the
writings of the ancient fathers are despised. The phi-
S40
CHKIST IK HIS CHtJBCH.
losophy of Aristotle has been styled by Luther the work
of the devil, and he condemns indeed all knowledge.
Melanchthon is quarrelling with the Universities. Farel
condemns all education as an invention of the devil.
Perhaps, too, some other reformer might as well attribute
to the fault of the priests the great falling off in the
number of students. The fault-finders are wild enough
in their charges to make this last one. For they forget
how many colleges of England, Holland, France, and
other places have been founded and richly endowed by
bishops and priests, who also made ample provision for
the decent support of the students. It would appear that
lately some Protestant governments have advertised for
professors. They will also find it necessary to advertise
for students; so universal and incorrigible is the intellec-
tual laziness and languor brought about by the so-called
new gospel."
To these disorders and demoralization may be added
the bloody persecutions which soon followed in many
countries, especially in England, Ireland, and Scotland ;
the brutal violence with which many of the princes and
governments compelled their subjects to abandon the
religion of their fathers, and to embrace the new theories ;
the three religious wars of 1531, 1656, and 1712, in Switz-
erland; the nine Huguenot wars in France which lasted
from 1562 to 1588*, and more especially the dreadful
* The unfortunate event which occurred in Paris during the
night between the 24th and 25th of August, 1572, commonly known
in history as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, was instigated by
the Duke of Guise, who sought to avenge himself for the death
of his father on Caspar Coligny, the leader of the Huguenots, or
French Protestants. By an unhappy chain of circumstances, and
through the wilful blindness of King Charles IX., a man of little
or no force of character, what was intended to be a mere act of
private personal vindictiveness, was made to assume vast propor-
tions never contemplated. It is stated that no less than four thou-
fland persons, among them many Catholics, lost their lives at that
FALSE LIBERALISM OF OUR DAY.
241
Thirty Years' War, which devastated Germany fi-om 1618
to 1648, when it was at last brought to a close in the peace
meeting at Westphalia. The unity of the German empire
was rent asunder, the imperial power paralyzed, and
Europe was drawn up into two vast hostile camps.
Such were the results of this sham reformation. The
individual Catholic is far from wishing to hate and con-
demn his so-called Protestant fellow creatures. But the
Reformation itself he must always look upon as one of the
lamentable misfortunes which the Lord has ever permitted
to overtake the Church.
79. The False Liberalism of our Day.
** You have been called unto liberty: only make not liberty an
occasion to the flesh. Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are contentious, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions,
sects, envies." — Galatians v.
If we cast a glance at the disturbances and conflicts
that have arisen in the Church since the time of the Refor-
mation, we find that they are owing chiefly to a spirit of
false liberalism.* Let us endeavor to understand the
meaning of this important word, liberalism. The Catho-
time in Paris and the provinces of France. The deceitful king, in
relating the history of this event to Pope Gregory XIII., made it
appear in the light of a discovery and frustration of a treacherous
plot to assassinate the royal family.
* This pernicious system comprises Gallicanism in France, Jo-
sephism and Febronianism in Germany, the attempts of Bishop
Ricci of Pistoja in Italy, Hermesianism in Bonn, and other absur-
dities. One of the most dangerous of these modern heresies was
Jansenism, which in course of years joined hands with Gallicanism
in France (1640 to 1718). This heresy took its rise in a misunder-
standing of the teachings of St. Augustine on divine grace. It pre-
tended that the Church was too mild and easy, denied the freedom
of the human will, and maintained that man cannot resist the im-
pulses of grace.
242
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
i
lie Church is opposed chiefly by three enemies: the civil
power, which seeks to rule the Church and become omnipo-
tent in all departments of society; Bible-reading Prot-
estantism; and infidelity. Now there have always been,
and there are to-day, individual Catholics, certain learned
professors, even well-to-do and comfortably situated clergy-
men, who, instead of trying to preserve the legacy of
Christ against these three enemies, and to defend it man-
fully, dally more or less with these enemies, and yield up
now one portion and now another portion of Catholic
truth and ecclesiastical right, with the laudable intention
of saving the rest and purchasing peace at any price.
They forget that Catholic
truth is not the creation of
man; nor yet merchandise,
which we can cheapen and sell
for the sake of gain. They do
not remember how emphati-
cally and positively the Lord
commands us to hold fast
with unshaken firmness and
fidelity to the smallest tit-
tle of doctrine and precept.
They seem to forget that the
enemy will not remain satisfied with such concessions, and
that their own pretended sagacity will in the end prove a
folly and a snare. It is true that these persons have for a
long time won the applause of the world. They are called
generous, tolerant, liberal, and enlightened Catholics,
whilst their brethren who have stood firm and unyielding
by the side of the Church have been derided, cursed, and
persecuted as Ultramontanes. But this very flattering
adulation of the world should make them afraid. For
Christ the Lord has said: "Kemember my word that I
said to you. The servant is not greater than his master.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
Bishop W. R Ketteler.
FALSE LIBERALISM OF OUR DAY.
243
If you had been of the world, the world would love you as
'its own;' but because you are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
iiateth you."
Even in these degenerate days of our own time, the
Lord has raised up great, learned, and fearless champions
to combat this new heresy of liberalism, In the front
ranks of this glorious army stand Bishop Ketteler and
the other brave bishops of Germany and Switzerland.
Ihese faithful successors of the Apostles, equipped with
the shining armor of faith, reposing their trust in God,
possessing experience and knowledge, proof against the
flattery and fearless of the threats of the mighty ones of
242
CHRIST m HIS CHURCH.
lie Church is opposed ehiefly by three enemies: the civil
power, wliich seeks to rule the Church and become omnipo-
tent in all departments of society; Bible-reading Prot-
estantism; and infidelity. Now there have always been,
and there are to-day, individual Catholics, certain learned
professors, even well-to-do and comfortably situated clergy-
men, who, instead of trying to preserve the legacy of
Christ against these three enemies, and to defend it man-
fully, dally more or less with these enemies, and yield up
now one portion and now another portion of Catholic
truth and ecclesiasticiil right, with the laudable intention
of saving the rest and purchasing peace at any price.
They forget that Catholic
truth is not the creation of
man; nor yet merchandise,
which we can cheapen and sell
for the sake of gai n . They do
not remember how emphati-
cally and positively the Lord
commands us to hold fast
with unshaken firmness and
fidelity to the smallest tit-
tle of doctrine and precept.
They seem to forget that the
enemy will not remain satisfied with such concessions, and
that their own pretended sagacity will in the end prove a
folly and a snare. It is true that these persons have for a
long time won the applause of the world. They are called
generous, tolerant, liberal, and enlightened Catholics,
whilst their brethren who have stood firm and unyielding
by the side of the Church have been derided, cursed, and
persecuted as Ultramontanes. But this very flattering
adulation of the world should make them afraid. For
Christ the Lord has said: "Kemember my word that I
said to you. The servant is not greater than his master.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
Bishop W. E. Ketteler.
FALSE LIBERALISM OF OUR DAY.
243
If you had been of the world, the world would love you as
*its own;' but because you are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you."
Even in these degenerate days of our own time, the
Lord has raised up great, learned, and fearless champions
to combat this new heresy of liberalism, In the front
ranks of this glorious army stand Bishop Ketteler and
the other brave bishops of Germany and Switzerland.
These faithful successors of the Apostles, equipped with
the shining armor of faith, reposing their trust in God,
possessing experience and knowledge, proof against the
flattery and fearless of the threats of the mighty ones of
244
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
this earth, faithful to duty, in perfect hannony with each
other, and ready and eager to follow in the footsteps of
the martyr-bishops of the primitive Church, they stand
ready to repel the inroads of liberalism in the Church of
Christ; defending, by pen and tongue, the legacy of faith,
the freedom of the Church, and the rights of the Christ-
ian people.
Foremost in this sacred contest stood the late Father
of Christendom, the glorious Poj)e Pius IX. Gentle and
kind towards ail men, he fought from the beginning of
his pontificate, with the perseverance and courage of a
hero, against the rise and growth of false principles. Like
the venerable and aged Mathathias, in the days of the
faithless and haughty king Antiochus, Pius IX. pro-
claimed: "Every one that hath zeal for the law, and
maintain eth the testament, let him follow me. Now hath
pride and chastisement gotten strength, and the time of
destruction and the wrath of indignation: now there-
fore, 0 my sons, be zealous for the law" (1 Mach. ii.).
In his letters and sermons, Pius tore the mask from the
brow of that Antiochus, Godless enlightenment, proclaim-
ing in fearless accents to the nations that timidity, cow-
ardice, or liberalism, cannot lead to peace; that real, true,
and enduring peace is to be found only in Christ, and in
rendering to him honest, sincere, and undivided homage.
The angels' song must ever be ours: " Glory be to God on
high."
CHAPTER IX.
THE HISTORY OF THE PERSECU-
TIONS.
CHRIST LIVES IN HIS CHURCH AS THE CRUCIFIED ONE.
8o. Persecutions from the Jews.
"Pilate saith to the Jews: Behold your king! But they cried
out :A way, with him, away with him; crucify him." — Jokn xix. 14.
WELL and truly liath the Saviour said: *'If the
world hate you, know you that it hath hated me
me before you. If they have persecuted me, they will
lilso persecute you. Father, the hour of my death is
come; glorify thy Son. Keep and protect those whom
thou hast given me in thy name, that they be one, I in
them, and thou in me, and I am glorified in them."
These words of our divine Saviour contain and explain
the whole mystery of Christian persecution. It is not
the Church, it is not its leaders, nor yet its members that
the world has persecuted and will persecute to the end
of time; it is Christ himself who is the object of its
fury: "Christ in themj" thai is, Christ in his Church.
Although he is now reigning in heaven's glory, at the
Father's right hand, he is really and truly living over
again, in his Church, his three-and-thirty years' life of
martyrdom. "Oye of little faith! Is it not necessary
for Christ thus to suffer, and so to enter into his glory?"
The Church must follow in his footsteps. Against her, as
it was against Him, the hatred of a dissolute world will
246
ilw
I
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
ever be made practically and painfully manifest. But after
the sword comes the palm; first the cross, then the crown.
The first persecution against the Church was waged
by the Jews. They who had delivered the divine Master
to be crucified by the heathen, now directed their fury
against his disciples. The Council ordered them to be
The Crucilixiou.
imprisoned, forbade them to preach the gospel, had them
scourged, and sent Jewish minions into every town and
rural district to find out the faithful and to bring them
in chains to Jerusalem. It was tiie Jews who stoned St.
Stephen, who effected the death of St. James the elder,
slew St. James the Less, incited the heathen mob at
Lystra to stone St. Paul; and it was they who afterwards
sent this Apostle in chains to Caesarea to appear and
answer before pagan judges. But the measure was soon
PERSECUTIONS FROM THE JEWS.
247
filled, and the day of vengeance dawned at last over the
deicide city of Jerusalem. The blood of the prophets, the
blood of the world's Kedeemer, and of his saints, must
be avenged, and the dreadful prophecies of Christ must
be fulfilled.
The instruments chosen to inflict this chastisement
upon the Jews were the Romans; whose forces, under the
command of Titus, in the year 70, besieged the doomed
capital; whose mhabitants, deceived by false prophets,
had risen m rebellion against the imperial government.
The sufferings undergone by the people of the beleaguered
town during the three months' siege, have hardly a paral-
lel in history; being ''such tribulations as were not from
the beginning of the creation."
The sword and arrow of the enemy from the walls, the
wild and murderous gangs in the city itself, the poisonous
effluvia of contagious diseases, and awful famme, all com-
bined to produce a dreadfully abundant death-harvest.
Seven and thirty years before had the Son of Man shed
tears over fhis city, and foretold the destruction which
has now come upon it. " 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if thou
also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things
that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy
eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and thine
enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee
round, and threaten thee on every side, and beat thee flat
to the ground, and thy children who arc in thee, and they
shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou
hast not known the time of thy visitation. Woe to them
that are with child and give suck in those days, for there
shall be great distress m the land, and wrath upon this
people. They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captives into all nations; and Jerusalem
shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, till the times of
the nations be fulfilled."
Alas ! the Jews, with their usual wilful obstinacv.
246
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
ever be made practically and painfully manifest. But after
the sword comes the palm; first the cross, then the crown.
The first persecution against the Church was waged
by the Jews. They who had delivered the divine Master
t© %e crucified by the heathen, now directed their fury
against his disciples. The Council ordered them to be
The Crucifixion.
imprisoned, forbade them to preach the gospel, had them
scourged, and sent Jewish minions into every town and
rural district to find out the faithful and to bring them
in chains to Jerusalem. It was the Jews who stoned St.
Stephen, who effected the death of St. James the elder,
slew St. James the Less, incited the heathen mob at
Lystra to stone St. Paul; and it was they who afterwards
sent this Apostle in chains to Caesarea to appear and
answer before pagan judges. But the measure was soon
PERSECUTIONS FROM THE JEWS.
247
filled, and the day of vengeance dawned at last over the
deicide city of Jerusalem. The blood of the prophets, the
blood of the world's Redeemer, and of his saints, must
be avenged, and the dreadful prophecies of Christ must
be fulfilled.
The instruments chosen to inflict this chastisement
upon the Jews were the Romans; whose forces, under the
command of Titus, in the year 70, besieged the doomed
capital; whose mhabitants, deceived by false prophets,
had risen m rebellion against the imperial government.
The sufferings undergone by the people of the beleaguered
town during the three months' siege, have hardly a paral-
lel in history; being ''such tribulations as were not from
the beginning of the creation."
The sword and arrow of the enemy from the walls, the
wild and murderous gangs m the city itself, the poisonous
effluvia of contagious diseases, and awful famine, all com-
bined to produce a dreadfully abundant death-harvest.
Seven and thirty years before had the Son of Man shed
tears over fliis city, and foretold the destruction which
has now come ui^n it. *' 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if thou
also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things
that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy
eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and thine
enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee
round, and threaten thee on every side, and beat thee flat
to the ground, and thy children who are in thee, and they
shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou
hast not known the time of thy visitation. Woe to them
tliat are with child and give suck in those days, for there
shall be great distress m the land, and wrath upon this
people. They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captives into all nations; and Jerusalem
shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, till the times of
the nations be fulfilled."
Alas ! the Jews, with their usual wilful obstinacy.
I
248
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
closed their ears to these dread prophecies of Christ, and
now the measure of their guilt is overflowing and their
punishment overwhelming. Not a spark of human feel-
ing seems to be left alive in their hearts, for mothers feed
upon the flesh of their children. Hundreds of thousands
of her citizens were slain, or carried into captivity. The
city, with its magnificent temple, was burned to the
ground, and even the few remaining foundations were
thrown down by Titus. Such was the punishment sent
Christlaiiity departs from Jerusalem.
by Heaven on the first persecutors of the Church. The
chosen city of God, the heaven-favored Jerusalem, the
cradle of Christianity, was reduced to nuns; while Chris-
tianity, shaking the dust from her feet, and taking with
her all her blessings, her heavenly peace, and her hopes of
salvation, went forth from the ruins, to traverse the earth,
to enlighten and comfort, and bring salvation to the
heathen peoples who sat in darkness and m the shadow of
desponding spiritual death,
TEX ROMAN PERSECUTIONS.
249
8i. The Ten Roman Persecutions.
"Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. You
shall be brought before governors and before kings for my sake, for
a testimony to them and to the gentiles." — IVIatthew x. 16, 18.
•
The persecutions which the Church suffered at the
hands of the pagan emperors of Rome were far more
cruel and protracted
and widespread than
those inflicted by the
Jews. Indeed, dur-
ing the first three
centuries the conflict
between the powers
of Rome and the
struggling Christians
was almost continual.
Hence that period is
specially known as
the "age of martyr-
dom. " From time
immemorial the Ro-
man emperors had
considered them-
selves both as high-
priests of paganism
and as supreme rul-
ers both in religious
and temporal mat-
ters. Hence they
looked upon them-
selves as attacked and
defied in their most cherished rights by the '* kingdom of
Christ," which cannot know or recognize any authority
superior to itself. Moreover, the imperial greatness and
power, in a great measure, owed its rise, andgre;tt splendor,
Nero.
I
248
CHRIST IK HIS CHURCH.
TEX ROMAN PERSECUTIONS.
249
closed their ears to these dread prophecies of Christ, and
now the measure of their guilt is overflowing and their
punishment overwhelming. Not a spark of human feel-
ing seems to be left alive in their hearts, for mothers feed
upon the flesh of their children. Hundreds of thousands
of her citizens were slain, or carried into captivity. The
city, with its magnificent temple, was burned to the
ground, and even the few remaining foundations were
thrown down by Titus. Such was the punishment sent
Christianity departs from Jerusalem.
bj Heaven on the first persecutors of the Church. The
chosen city of God, the heaven-favored Jerusalem, the
cradle of Christianity, was reduced to ruins; while Chris-
tianity, shaking the dust from her feet, and taking with
lierall her blessings, her heavenly peace, and her hopes of
salvation, went forth from the ruins, to traverse the earth,
to enlighten and comfort, and bring salvation to the
heathen peoples who sat in darkness and m the shadow of
desponding spiritual death.
8i. The Ten Roman Persecutions.
"Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. You
shall be brought before governors and before kings for my sake, for
a testimony to them and to the gentiles." — Matthew x. 16, 18.
The persecutions which the Church suffered at the
hands of the pagan emperors of Kome were far more
cruel and protracted
and widespread tlian
those inflicted by the
Jews. Indeed, dur-
ing the first three
centuries the conflict
between the powers
of Rome and the
struggling Christians
was almost continual.
Hence that period is
specially known as
the **age of martyr-
dom. " From time
immemorial the Ro-
man emperors had
considered them-
selves both as high-
priests of paganism
and as supreme rul-
ers both in religious
and temporal mat-
ters. Hence they
looked upon them-
selves as attacked and
defied in their most cherished rights by the "kingdom of
Christ," which cannot know or recognize any authority
superior to itself. Moreover, the imperial greatness and
power, in a great measure, owed its rise, and gre.tt splendor.
Nero.
250
CHKIST Ilf HIS CHURCH.
I
to idolatry, with which it had grown up into gigantic power
and majesty. Hence it often happened that emperors,
who in other respects were mild and gentle, became like
roaring lions when brought in contact with the Christians.
During the greater portion of this **age of martyr-
dom" in the Church, namely from the year 64 to tlie year
313, history presents to our view ten emperors, who were
the chief persecutors of the followers of Christ. These
were: Nero, from 54 to 68; Domitian, from 81 to 96;
Trajan, from 98 to 117; Adrian, from 117 to 138; Marcus
Aurelius, from 161 to 180; Septimius Severus, from 193 to
211; Maximinian of Thrace, from 235 to 238; Decius,
from 249 to 251; Valerian, from 253 to 260; Diocletian
and his agents, from 284 to 313.
Injustice, cruelty, malignant hatred, diabolical lust:
all the evil passions that slumber in the human breast,
seem to have formed a conspiracy, and into this conspiracy
to have taken hell with all its malice, for the sole purpose
of destroying Christianity. Children, old men, tender
maidens and gentle matrons, peasants and high dignita-
ries, were dragged before the judgment-seat of the emperor
or of his representative officer; and when flattery and
promises had no effect upon their faith, they were
stretched on the rack, lacerated with iron hooks, burnt
at the stake, beheaded, crucified, drowned, or buried
alive, scalded to death in caldrons of seething oil, or
molten lead; showing that Christ still lived, in his
Church, a martyr's life. Those Christians who as yet
had evaded death and imprisonment, took great pains
to purchase from the executioners the martyrs' remains,
and with touching and loving solicitude deposited them
in the Catacombs. Then might be seen many a group of
prayerful Christians, gathered in silence in the darksome
vault, and by the uncertain light of a single torch, paying
their last respects to a martyred brother or sister, blessing
the sacred remains, and going forth only to be themselves
PEKSECLTION« JiY THE EASTEKN EMPERORS. 251
brought back the next day and placed side by side with
the one whom they had just left. The martyr's blood in
which Christianity was to be extinguished became the
seed of new Christians. While thousands of heroes and
heroines of faith and charity fell dead on the field, mil-
lions rushed in to till up the ranks, and in their turn fall
in defence of truth; thus proving that the hfe of Jesus
Christ did not close on Calvary, nor even on Tabor, but
that he still lives, although persecuted unto death, immor-
tal and unconquerable in his Church for all time. The
survivors of the martyrs were careful to record quite fully
and accurately the lives, capture, imprisonment, trials,
and executions of their slaughtered brethren. These rec-
ords are still extant, and are known to scholars as the
'*Acts of the Martyrs." They form one of the most
tender and edifying chapters in the history of the Church.
When the lioman empire, after having spent its forces
against the Christians, became poweriess for further oppo-
sition, it, too, met its chastisement. Countless tribes of
savages from the remote and unknown north of Europe
invaded its territories, overran the empire with fire and
sword, and in 470 drove the last emperor of the W^cst,
Romulus Augustulus, from the throne.
82. Persecutions by the Emperors of the East.
"God hath placed bishops to rule the Church of God."— Acts
OF THE Apostles xx. 28.
Less bloody, but more dangerous and wicked, were
the persecutions undergone by the Church at the hands
of the emperors of the East, at Constantinople. Most of
these men were unworthy successors of Constantine the
Great; and being addicted to Arianism and other errors
and vices, they were constantly interfering in ecclesia'stical
affairs. They even presumed to issue ecclesiastical decrees
252
CHBIST IN HIS CHUECH.
I
and formal declarations of faith; and woe to the bishops and
priests who would dare to oppose them. They would be
deposed from their office, banished, imprisoned, beheaded,
or strangled. Tlie patriarchs of Constantinople especially
were required to render blind obedience to the emperors,
and to become the tools of their imperial whims in reli-
gious affairs. While some few submitted tamely, the
greater number withstood manfully this invasion of their
rights of conscience, and became martyrs in the cause of
apostolic freedom, as became faithful shepherds. Such a
conflict existed during the time of the Iconoclasts, when
the emperors Leo the Isaurian, Oonstantine Copronymous,
Loo the Armenian, Michael the Stamuierer, and Theophi-
lus endeavored to do away with the veneration of images
by torturing and murdering its defenders.
These persecutors of the Church did not escape the
chastisement of heaven. For while they were disputing
on Church affairs, the Persians on the one side, and the
Barbarians on the other, wrested from their possession the
so-called Greek poi)e<ioiii, till Hually the Turks and Sara-
cens completely overturned forever the rotten throne of
the Eastern empire.
83. Persecutions in the Middle Ages.
"Then .Tesus saith lo them: Rentier llierefore to Civsiir the
things that are Ciusar's; and to God, the things that are God's."—
Matthew xxii. 21.
During the middle ages, many kings and princes of
western Europe assumed the right to interfere in the gov-
ernment of the Church, and became its bitterest enemies
and persecutors. They often nominated unworthy men
to vacant bishoprics, and by artifice and violence sought
to have them appointed and consecrated. The contro-
versy about investitures between the j)<)pe3 and bishops
PERSECUTIONS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. 253
on one side, and the kings of Germany, France, and Eng-
land on the other, lasted from 1074 till 1122. The most
crafty and powerful of these enemies was Henry IV.,*
Henry IV. at Canossa.
Emperor of Germany who, after making his submission
at Canossa to Pope Gregory VII., soon after violated his
promises in the most disgi-aceful manner, the haughtv
Henry II. of England, and Philip the Fair of France,
persecuted the Church and her ministers, and tram})led
* Canossa was a strongly fortified castlo, belonging to the noble
marchioness, Matilda of Tuscany. Henry IV. came to this place of
his own free will, as a penitent, to receive from the Pope absolution
from the sentence of excommunication. Frivolous and superficial
writers pretend to see in this proceeding a proof of the Pope's thirst
for power, and an instance of his hard-heartedness. But even many
Protestant writers of intelligence and discernment have acknowl-
edged that the proceeding redounds to the credit of Pope Gregory
VII., who showed himself n strong defender of principle, in opposi-
tion to an ambitions, yet weak and vacillating king.
252
CHKIST Ui .JtiiS'' ■CHUECII.
und formiil decLmitions of faith; and woe to the bishops and
priests who would dare to oppose them. They would be
deposed from their office, banished, imprisoned, beheaded,
or strangled. The patriarchs of Constantinople ospecially
w®r© wcpired to reader blind obedience to the emi)erors,
iild t» boeome the tools of their imperial whims in reli-
gious affairs. While some few submitted tamely, the
greater number withstood manfully this iuvasion of their
fights of conscience, and became martyrs in the cause of
apostolic freedom, as became faithful shei)lierds. Such a
conliict existed during the time of the Iconoclasts, when
Hi© emperors Leo the Isauriau, Constantine Copronymous,
Ijcmj tiic Armeiiian, Michael the Stauimerer, and Theophi-
lus endeavored to do away with the veneration of images
hf torturing and murdering its defenders.
These persecutors of the Chui*ch did not escape the
chastisement of heaven. For while they were disputing
on Church affairs, the Persians on the one side, and the
Barbarians on the other, wrested from their possession the
so-called Greek po[)edom, till finally tlie Turks and Sara-
cens completely overturned forever the rotten throne of
the Eastern empire.
83. Persecutions in the Middle Ages.
•'Then Jesus saitli to theiu: Keiuler lluTcfore to Cu'snr the
things that ure Ctet«ir's; aiitl to God, the things that are God'*?." —
Matthew xxii. 21.
During the middle ages, many kings and princes of
western Europe assumed the right to interfere in the gov-
ernment of the Church, and became its bitterest enemies
and persecutors. They often nominated unworthy men
to vacant bishoprics, and by artifice and violence sought
to have them ajipointed and consecrated. The contro-
versy ulioiit iiivestitnres between the popes and bishops
PERSECUTIONS m THE MIDDLE AGES. 253
on one side, and the kings of Germany, France, and Eng-
land on the other, lasted from 1074 till im. The most
crafty and ])owerful of these enemies was Henry IV.,*
Henry IV. at Canossa.
Emperor of Germany who, after making his submission
lit Canossa to Pope Gregory VII., soon after violated his
promises in the most disgi-aceful manner, the haughtv
Henry II. of England, and Philip the Fair of France,
persecuted the Church and her ministers, and tram])led
* Canossa was a strongly fortified castlo. belonging to the noble
marchioness, Matilda of Tuscany. Henry IV. came to this place of
his own free will, as a penitent, to receive from the Pope absolution
from the sentence of excommunication. Frivolous and superficial
writers pretend to see in this proceeding a proof of the Pope's thirst
for power, and an instance of his hard-iieartedness. But even many
Protestant writers of intelligence and discernment have acknowl-
edged that the proceeding redounds to the credit of Pope Gregory
VII., who showed himself a strong defonderof principle, in opposi-
tion to an ambitious. y,.(. weak and v.i.-illatin.^ km.-
254
W
I
CHKIST IN 1118 CHURCH.
upon her rights. Many episcopal chairs were dishonored
by interlopers whom these monarchs, of their own accord,
created bishops, wliile many monasteries were spiritually
and temporally ruined by their so-called lay abbots; tliat
is, by men who, without ecclesiastical training, and some-
times even witliout holy orders, were promoted by their
sovereigns to the dignity of abbots in reward for services
rendered to the State. These men apj)ointed substitutes
'a) exercise the duties of abbot, while they themselves, liv-
ing sometimes in the monastery, but oftener out of it,
squandered its revenues in profligacy and dissipation.
Amid the struggles and persecutions of those times,
the name of St. Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, is the only one we have room to mention from the
long catalogue of the defenders of the Church. Henry II.,
King of England, had promoted this gentle and cultured
man to the dignity of lord chancellor, m the hoi)e of mak-
ing him a tool for the furtherance of nefarious designs.
But when the king attempted to invade the riglits of the
Cburch, the holy archbishop rebuked and thwarted him.
The saint preferred to incur the king's displeasure, and to
be banislied by sentence of the high court, rather than to
prove untrue to his episcopal dignity. The king seemed to
regret his unjust proceeding, and permitted St. Thomas
to return to his diocese. But not long afterward some
courtiers and friends of Henry slew the bishop at the altar
of his cathedral. ** Cheerfullv I suffer death for God's
Church," he said to the executioners as they were about
to strike off his head. He died on the 29th of December,
1170.
MODEKX PKKSECLTIONS.
255
84. Modern Persecutions.
"Many have abused unto pride the goodness of princes, and the
honor that hath been bestowed upon them, and not only endeavor
to oppress the subjects, but to violate the laws of humanity."—
Esther xvi.
The false i)rinciple advocated by the reformers of the
sixteenth century, that the civil rulers are the proper
authorities in religious matters, led to cruel persecution
at the time of the Reformation, and for centuries later.
This interference in Church affairs on the part of the
civil power was augmented to an alarming extent. The
reformers, on the one hand, in order to forward their
cause, sought the help of the princes, and in return for
their protection, surrendered to them many of the most
sacred rights and privileges of the Church. These rene-
gade princes often employed fire and sword to force their
subjects into the new religion. On the other hand, those
princes who remained Catholics and protected their sub-
jects against heretical innovations, claimed to be the indis-
pensable guardians of the Church; and under pretext of
protecting it, and improving gradually its condition,
assumed every imaginable authority. They discontinued
many episcopal sees, closed several convents for the mere
purpose of appropriating their revenues to their own pri-
vate use, and by means of new laws injured the freedom
of the Church very materially. Thus, for example, the
German emperor, Joseph 11. , oppressed the Church in
some of her most sacred rights from 1780 to 1790. He
suppressed monasteries, forbade pilgrimages and proces-
sions, and restricted the ceremonies even at mass.* In
order to place the Church at the foot of the throne, he
* Hence the Protestant Frederick the Great styled him '* Brother
Sacristan."
256
CHRIST IX HIS cnrucH.
\\
assumed the direction of ecclesiastical seminaries, and the
training of candidates for the priesthooJ.
In the year 1790 a fearful storm burst over the Church
ia France. The successful revolutionists confiscated all
the property of fcbe Church, and dosed all the convents
and monasteries. Priests who refnsed to subscribe to the
violent measures of the new government were seni; into exile
or pnt to death. After tlie execution of King Louis XVI.,
in January, 1793, Christianity was declared abolished, the
so-called goddess of reason was set up in the churches, and
the blood of the faithful ran like rivers over the soil of
France. The father of Christendom, Pius VI., died m
exile in August, 1799,
THE CHURCH AND MODKIiN GOVERNMENTS. 257
When, in 1801, a concordat was agreed upon between
Pius VII. and Napoleon I., the oppression of tlie Church
seemed to be at an end. But persecution soon raised its
head again, and Pius VII., deeming it necessary and proper
to refuse his consent to the extravagant and unlawful
demands of Napoleon, and finding himself at last com-
pelled to excommunicate the emperor, was brought a pris-
oner to France, where he remained fo;ir long, tedious
years in ignominious confinement, till the defeat of Napo-
leon at Leipsic.
85. The Church and the Governments in Modern
Times.
"If then your delight be in thrones and sceptres, O ye kings of
the people, love wisdom that you may reign forever."- Wisdom
vi. 22.
Napoleon I., having fallen from the pinnacle of power,
was himself exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he
died on the 5th of May, 18)^1; while the Pope, released
from prison, returned in triumph to the Eternal City.
The crime committed by this once powerful emperor
against the Vicar of Christ was avenged in the snows of
Russia.* His nephew, Napoleon III., also learned by hard
experience that God does not permit his Church to be
persecuted with impunity. After having for many years
played a game of double dealing between the Vicar of
Christ and the Revolutionists, he at last showed his true
colors, and withdrew from Rome the French soldiers
* When Pope Pius VII. uttered the sentence of excommunica-
tion against Napoleon, he laughingly inquired of his officers
whether this sentence would paralyze the arms of his brave sol-
diers? It is remarkable that the history of his Russian campaign
says: "The intense cold caused the arms to drop from the be-
numbed hands of the soldiers."
250
cmiisT IX ins cihik ii.
assumed the tlireetion of eeclesiasticul Heminaries, and tlie
tniiiiiug of candidates for the i)riesthooJ.
hi the year 1790 a fearful storm burst oyer the Churcli
ia France. The successful revolutionists confiscated all
the firopertv of the Church, and closed all the convents
tiiid monasteries. Priests who refused to sul)scril>e to the
■^v^i^i'
violent measures of thenewgovornmont were scnit, into exile
or put to death. After the execution of King Louis X VI..
in January, 1793, Christianity was declared abolished, the
so-called goddess of reason was set u]) in the churches, and
the blood of tlie faithful ran like rivers over the soil ot
France. The father of Christendoin. Pius VI., died m
exile in August, 1799.
TIIK (IllIUII AM) MODKKX (.< )V KRX M KMs. 257
\Vlien, in 18()l, a concordat was agreed upon between
Pius VII. and Napoleon L, the oppression of tlio Church
seemed to be at an end. But persecution soon raised its
head agani, and Pius VII., deeming it necessary and proper
to refuse his consent to the extravagant and unlawful
demands of Napoleon, and finding himself at last com-
pelled to excommunicate the emperor, was brought a pris-
oner to France, where he remained four long, tedious
years in ignominious confinement, till the defeat of Napo-
leon at Leipsic.
85. The Church and the Governments in Modern
Times.
" If tlieu your tleliglit be in thrones and sceplivs, () ye kings of
the people, love wisdom that vou may reign foiever "- Wisdom
vi. 33.
Napoleon I., having fallen from the pinnacle of power.
was himself exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he
died on the 5th of May, 1821; while the Pope, released
from ])rison, returned in triumph to the Eternal City.
The crime committed by this once powerful emperor
against the Vicar of Christ was avenged in the snows of
Kussia.* His nephew, Napoleon 111., also learned by hard
experience that God does not permit his Church to be
persecuted with imi)unity. After having for many years
played a game of double dealing between the Vicar of
Christ and the Revolutionists, he at last showed his true
colors, and withdrew from Rome the French soldiers
*When Pope Pius VII. uttered tlie sentence of excommunica-
tion against Napoleon, he laughingly inquired of his officers
whether this sentence would paralyze the arms of his brave sol-
diers? It is remarkable that the liistory of his Russian campaign
says: "The intense cold caused the arms to drop from tlie l)e-
numbed hands of the soldiers."
i
258
CHRIST IN JUS 'CHURCH.
placed there by the French nation to protect Pius the
Ninth. But on the very day, when the first detachment
of his soldiers left Rome, the 4th of August, 1870, France
lost the battle of Weissenburg. On the 2d of September,
the tenth anniversary of his treacherous alliance with
Victor Emmanuel against the Pope, he lost crown and
freedom, to die in exile three years later.
Most trying persecutions overtook the Church in Italy,
and, indeed, in niost European countries, during the sub-
sequent years.
Have princes and would-be statesmen profited by these
examples? Alas! the history of the Church in modern
days speaks the contrary; and even to-day, men in power
seem to find no other enemy to meet in battle but the
Church of Christ.
The religious houses are the next point of attack for
the persecutionists. These sacred and peaceful retreats,
and seats of piety and learning, seem to be objects of
special dislike to the demon of unbelief. By means of
falsehood, ridicule, and calumny, the unsuspecting people
are first prejudiced against these religious institutions,
and then, when the measures are all taken, and the people
are demoralized, the mighty ones in the government,
under pretence of its being the people's wish, and that
the good of the State requires it, proceed to the ruthless
invasion and suppression of these sacred abodes of faith,
learning, and charity. The old consecrated halls, the
products of our forefathers' generosity, are then perverted
into penitentiaries, fjictories, or insane asylums. In
many places, the freedom of bishops and pastors in the
exercise of their duties is restrained by iniquitous laws;
while the State, although publicly and fundamentally
proclaiming its disbelief in all religions, still would arro-
gate to itself the selection and appointment of pastors of
souls. The Church, that ancient and experienced school-
mistress of nations, is rudely and unjustly deprived of her
TIIK CHURCH AND >U)'DKKN GOVKRXM ENTS. 259
right to direct the schools; and for no other purpose than
to keep the tender children, whom the Saviour would
have to come to him, in ignorance of the doctrines and
precepts of that same divine friend of youth. In the
colleges and universities, founded and supported as they
have been from the revenues of the Churches, and by the
generous bequests of our Catholic ancestors, we see the
highest and most important positions intrusted to men
of no belief, in order that our future lawyers, physicians,
and statesmen may imbibe in the very bloom of their
youth the poison of godlessness and of hatred for religion.
By the enactment of unprincipled and unconstitutional
laws, marriage, which is the very foundation of all society,
is stripped of its sublime character of a Sacrament, and
reduced to the level of a mere civil contract.
Moreover, whilst governments and law-makers thus
circumscribe, oppress, and persecute the Church and re-
ligion, they concede to an evil press the most unrestricted
license, and in many instances afford it governmental
assistance and protection at the expense of the taxpayers.
Countless copies of unprincipled newspapers,' of tracts,
pamphlets, almanacs, and magazines are circulated from
house to house. The unsuspecting head of a family is
persuaded that it is a proof of education, and very neces-
sary to his success in life, to read the advanced newspaper
of the day and to cause his children to do the same. And
alas! what are the ordinary contents of these so-called pro-
gressive journals? They contain the poison of e^il and
soul-destroying principles, the filth of obscene anecdotes
and indecent stories; ridicule for the Churcli, and even
formal blasphemy. Many a Christian, blinded by the evil '
spirit of the times, pays for this literature with money
earned by the sweat of his brow, and yet hopes and
intends to be able to die a good Christian and a true
Catholic.
The Popes of later years, especially the late Pius the
i ■
It
(I
260
CHRIST IN HIS CHUKCir.
, "^1
Ninth, and his illustrious successor, Leo XIII., have raised
their voices in solemn protest against these persecutions
of religion on the part of governments, of false science,
and of an unprincipled press. And what return did the
Vicars of Christ meet with? None other but the same
that was made long ago to Jesus Christ, the King of
Martyrs; and to St. Stephen, the firstling among the
martyrs of the Church. As the Jews of old expelled the
Redeemer of the world from the city of Jerusalem, and
led him to Calvary for crucifixion ; as they dragged St.
Stephen out of the same city in order to stone him to
death; in a very similar manner have the great powers of
the earth, in collusion with the Revolutionary element of
society, labored for many years to expel the Pope from
the holy city of Rome, in order that he too might find his
Calvary and death; **for," say they, ** with the Papacy
falls the Church; and with the Church the whole religion
of Jesus Christ."
Such has been the history of the Church for eighteen
hundred years. Fire and sword have been directed against
her in vain; governments have opposed her; false science
would tear her with its teeth; diplomacy has laid plans
for her destruction ; calumny would blacken her fair
name, and even disloyal priests have given her the
treacherous kis8 of Judas. And now let us raise our
eyes and scan the horizon of the world's history. Can w©
find in any age, or in part of the world, an institution
which has been so persistently opposed as has been the
Catholic Church? Nowhere, nowhere. Well then, in this
unparalleled, unbroken persecution, we discover an incon-
testable and undeniable proof, that in the Catholic Church
doth burn, really and truly and brightly, that divine Light
which the darkness of the world has hated from the be-
ginning; that Christ whom the world did nail to a cross,
but who, in the very darkest hour of his trials, on the eve
of his death, extended his arms over his faithful followers,
THE C'JIUKCII AM) MUDKK^ GO VEU2s MEM'S. . 201
saying to them, with courage and reliance upon God :
''Amen, amen, I say to you that you shall lament and
weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made
sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Have
confidence: I have overcome the world."
I
tl
t 1 1
CHAPTER X.
THE TRIUMPH AND GLORY OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
JESUS CHRIST LIVES IN HIS CHURCH AS THE GLORIFIED
CX)KQUEROR.
86. The Triumphant Existence of Nearly Nine-
teen Hundred Years.
*' If this be the work of men, it will come to naught: but if it
be of God, you cannot overthrow it."— Acts of the Apostles v. 38.
THE congregation of all the Faithful on earth consti-
tutes the Church militant or struggling. The glorified
Elect in heaven form the Church triumphant. In each
division of the Church Christ is the centre. As the
Saviour, during his sojourn on earth, sometimes mani-
fested his divine power in the midst of his humiliations,
ignominy and persecution, so, too, in the Church mili-
tant, on earth, the triumph of Chi-ist over his enemies
is sometimes very positive and palpable.
Of all these triumphs, the most obvious and unques-
tionable is the prolonged and successful life of his Church
for now nearly nineteen hundred years. Great teachers
and philosophers in the world have meanwhile gathered
disciples about them and founded celebrated systems and
schools. All have disappeared. Ambitious men have dis-
torted divine revelation, and founded for a time powerful
and influential sects. These exist no longer, except as
the dry branches of a withered tree. Mighty heroes have
CENTUKIES OF TRIUMPHANT EXISTENCE. 263
fought their way to immovable thrones, and founded proud
and haughty dynasties. They have perished, and are for-
gotten. Provinces and clans of people have confederated
together, and formed mighty kingdoms and common-
wealths. They have become dismembered, leaving only
their name to history. Amid all these unceasing changes
in human affairs, only one Power has remained unchanged
and unchangeable during the long period of eighteen
t«
Christ Triumphing over Peath and Hell.
liundred years and more. One only kingdom has resisted
dissolution, and defied destruction. That is the kingdom
of Christ, the Catholic Church.
Though there has been growth, development, advance-
ment, yet there has been no change. To those self-
same doctrines of faith in which the early Christians
found such comfort, the Church, with her two hundred
millions of followers in every quarter of the globe, still
CHAPTER X.
THE TRIUMPH AND GLORY OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
JESUS CHRIST LIVES IX HIS CHURCH AS THE GLORIFIED
CONQUEROK.
86. The Triumphant Existence of Nearly Nine-
teen Hundred Years.
** If this be the work of raeu, it will come to naught: but if it
be of God, you cannot overthrow it." — Acts op the Apostles v. 38,
THE congregation of all the Faithful on earth consti-
tutes the Church militant or struggling. The glorified
Elect in heaven form the Church triumphant. In each
division of tie Church Christ is the centre. As the
Saviour, during his sojourn on earth, sometimes mani-
fested his divine power in the midst of his humiliations,
ignominy and persecution, so, too, in the Church mili-
tant, on earth, the triumph of Christ over his enemies
is sometimes very positive and palpable.
Of all these triumphs, the most obvious and unques-
tionable is the prolonged and successful life of his Church
for Biiir nearly nineteen hundred years. Great teachers
and philosophers in the world have meanwhile gathered
disciples about them and founded celebrated systems and
schools. All have disappeared. Ambitious men have dis-
torted divine revelation, and founded for a time powerful
and influential sects. These exist no longer, except as
the dry branches of a withered tree. Mighty heroes have
0ENTUKIE8 OF TK1U31PHANT EXISTENCE. 268
fought their way to immovable thrones, and founded proud
and haughty dynasties. They have perished, and are for-
gotten. Provinces and clans of people have confederated
together, and formed mighty kingdoms and common-
wealths. They have become dismembered, leaving only
their name to history. Amid all these unceasing changes
in human affairs, only one Power has remained unchanged
and unchangeable during the long period of eighteen
Christ Triumphing over Death and Hell.
hundred years and more. One only kingdom has resisted
dissolution, and defied destruction. That is the kingdom
of Christ, the Catholic Church.
Though there has been growth, development, advance-
ment, yet there has been no change. To those self-
same doctrines of faith in which the early Christians
found such comfort, the Church, with her two hundred
millions of followers in every quarter of the globe, still
'u^i
f
M
f
264
CHRIST i:S' HIS CHURCH.
ki
clings with invincible steadfastness. The self-same sacri-
fice which was offered u]) in the catacombs is still offered
in all the Catholic Churches throughout the world. The
same seven sacraments which sanctiHed our forefathers
make us, to-day, partakers in the atonement of Christ.
Around the present reigning Pontiff, Leo XIII., the multi-
tude of believers gather, animated with the same senti-
ments of obedience that moved the Apostles and the other
early Christians to gatiiw about St. Peter. Another
evidence that the i)ower and intiuence of the Church are
still undiminished, may be seen in the fact that not only
Catholics, but more esi)ocially heretics and atheists, in
their writings and in their public measures, always consider
and recognize the existence of the Catholic Church.
** The Lion of Judah hath conquered," and he shall ever
continue to conquer and triumph in his Church, till he
attain the last and greatest crowning victory on the day of
judgment. Can there be anv more wonderful, dorious,
decisive, and convincing victory on the part of the Church
than the plain and obvious fact of her present existence
among men, without a change in her doctrine or in her
nature— as full of life and youthful vigor as in the days
of the Apoetles, directing and consoling the hearts and
souls of millions of the noblest and best of men? Is not
her very existence upon earth a crowning victory, after
eighteen hundred years of the most deadly opposition from
the world, from hell itself, from political powers, from
error, unbelief, and false knowledge? Certainly, that
ancient doctor of the law, Gamaliel, mentioned in the
Acts of the Apostles, uttered prophetic words when,
rising up in the high council, he exclaimed: "If this
work be of men, it will come to naught : but if it be of
God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found
even to fight against God." [Acts v.] For nineteen
centuries the powers of hell have waged war against
this work, but they have not vet destroved it. This
*
church's triumph IX HER MARTYRS.
265
fact constitutes the first glorious victory of our holy
Church.
87. The Triumph of the Church in her Martyrs.
"Death is swallowed up in victory. But thanks be to God,
who hath given us the victory, through onr Lord Jesus Christ."—
1 Corinthians xv. 54, 57.
Christ in the very moment of his deepest humiliation,
by his death on the cross, won a victory over the great
ones of this world. This victory won in blood he continues
to rei)eat in the Martyrs, the bleeding witnesses to the.
truth of his Church.
The world employs all the ingenuity that hatred sug-
gests, and all those means at which humanity shudders, in
order to estrange the Faithful from Christ and his Church.
Sword and gibbet, fire and wild beasts, everything that
hell could invent to torture and kill, have all been em-
ployed against the confessors of Christianity, as well by
individual tyrants as by fanatical nations. But behold I
With a supernatural fortitude have these victims of cruelty
mocked at all these torments, and thereby proved that a
still higher mysterious power bore them up. Overcome at
this spectacle, their opponents — aye, even their very execu-
tioners— have thrown themselves at the martyrs' feet, con-
fessed Christ, and shared their sufferings and death. Hence,
as Tertullian writes, the blood of the martvrs became the
seed of Christians, and the enemies of Jesus were com-
pelled over and over again to acknowledge, with the
ancient Pharisees, the victory and triumph of the Saviour
of the world. "The Pharisees therefore said amon^
themselves : Do you see that we prevail nothing? Be-
hold, the whole world is gone after him." — John xii. 19.
Each century, from the time of Nero down to the
present day, furnishes us with examples of Christian mar-
tyrdom. Thus, for ox.iniple, the soil of Japan was as
I\
I !'
266
C'lIKlST l.\ HIS CilURCll.
profusely saturated as any other land with the blood of Hit
martyrs who suffered during the persecutions which broke
out in 1596, and lasted for fifty years.*
In China, too, from 1795 to 1820, during the reign ol
the emperor Hiaking, thousands of Catholics suffered
martyrs' deaths. At their head stands the yaliant and
and pious Vicar Ai)ostolic, Dufresse. In Corea, in the year
1839, the French bishop, Imbert, with two of his brethren
The Monks of St. Bernard.
and about one hundred native Christians, secured the
crown of martyrdom.
Each and every such glorious death of a martyr is a
new and separate victory for the Church. For what is
this invisible mysterious power before which the rage and
might of error and unbelief is so shamefully abused and
* The solemn canonization of these Japanese martyrs took place
in 1862, in Rome, at a great gathering of bishops from all parts
of the Christian world.
chukch's triumph over ueathex powers. 267
thwarted but the truth of Christ, the grace of Christ, the
law of Christ, the supernatural treasure which he has
deposited in his Church?
Hardly less brilliant than the Church's triumph in the
martyrdom of faith is that testimony furnished during all
ages by the martyrs in the cause of charity or love of
neighbor. All those heroic confessors, male and female,
of the faith, who at the risk of their lives i)enetrated to the
cells of the Christian martyrs, in order to comfort them,
lire themselves so many martyrs of charity, and their lives
form a victory of the faith taught in the true Church.
Those monks who, for more than nine hundred vears,
have, generation after generation, imperilled their lives
amid the wild passes of Mount St. Bernard, in order to
<ave the lives of perishing travellers, are also martyrs of
charity, a shining triumph in the Church. Such, too, are
the brothers and sisters who risk their lives on the field of
battle, or in the hospitals and asylums. Their sacrifice of
life, for the sake of Christ and his Church, is a continuous
and rei)eated victory, a never-ceasing song of triumph, an
indubitable proof of the power of Christ in hi^ Church.
88. The Triumph of the Church over Heathen
Powers.
"And this i.s the victory \Yhich overcometh the world, our
faith." — 1 John v. 4.
The pagan empire of Rome had existed for more than
a thousand years, and had extended its power to nearly all
the countries of the eai'th. But at last the day was dawn-
ing when divine Providence woidd bring tliis i)ower to
the feet of Christ, and grant to His Church her proud
victory over heathendom. The agent made use of by
God for this purpose was Constantine the Great, the first
among the Roman emperors to embrace the truth. This
t
CUKIST IN HIS CJlLKCll.
profusely saturated as any other land with the blood of the
martyrs who suffered during the persecutions which broke
out in 159G, and lasted for fifty years.*
In China, too, from 1795 to 1820, during the reign ot
llie emperor Iliaking, thousands of Catholics suffered
martyrs' deaths. At their head stands the valiant and
and pious Vicar Apostolic, Dufresse. In Corea, in the year
1839. tlie Frencli l)ishop, Imbert, with two of his brethren
The Munk.s of St. Bernard.
and about one liundred native Christians, secured the
crown of martyrdom.
Each and every such glorious death of a martyr is a
new and separate victory for the Cliurch. For what is
this invisible mysterious power before which the rage and
might of error aud unbelief is so shamefully abused and
* The solemn canonization of these Japanese martyrs took place
in 1862, in Rome, at a great gathering of bishops from all parts
of the Christian world.
C11UKU118 TKlUMPll 0\ Kll IIEATIIEX J*U\VEK8. 267
thwarted but the truth of Christ, the grace of Christ, the
law of Christ, the supernatural treasure which he has
deposited in his Church?
Hardly less brilliant than the Church's triumph in the
martyrdom of faith is that testimouy furni.shed during all
ages by the martyj-s in the cause of charity or love of
neighbor. All those heroic confessors, male and female,
of the faith, who at the risk of their lives penetrated to the
cells of the Christian martyrs, in order to comfort them,
are themselves so many martyrs of clun'ity, and tlieir lives
f(»rm a victory of the faith taught in the true Church.
Those monks who, for more than nine hundred vears,
have, generation after generation, imperilled their lives
amid the wild i)asses of Mount 8t. Bernard, in order to
!iave the lives of perishing travellers, are also martyrs of
charity, a shining triumph in the Church. Such, too, are
the brothers and sisters who risk their lives on the field of
l)attle, or in the hospitals and asylums. Their sacrifice of
life, for the sake of Christ and his Cliurch, is a continuous
and rei)eated victory, a never-ceasing song of triumph, an
indubitable proof of the power of Christ in h\^ Church.
88. The Triumph of the Church over Heathen
Powers.
•*Auil this i^ the victory whicli ovcrconieth the world, our
laith."— 1 .T<uiN V. 4.
The i)agan empire of Home had existed for more than
a thotisaiul years, and had extended its power to nearly all
tiie countries of the earth. But at last the dav was dawn-
ing when divine Providence wotdd bring tliis power to
the feet of Christ, and grant to His Cliurch her \miul
victory over heathendom. The agent made use of by
God for this purpose was Constantine the Great, the first
among the Roman emperors to embrace the truth. TJiis
7
I
^1
f ■
Mm
ii
268
CHKIST IN HIS CHURCH.
famous ruler, who possessed all the talents of a successful
general and all the wisdom of a prudent legislator, was
led into the bosom of the Church by an extraordinary
manifestation of divine Providence. Although he had
acquired a knowledge of Christianity in his early years,
both from his devout mother, the empress Helen, and
from his intercourse with the Christians who were found
in large numbers in the imperial court of his pagan father,
Constantiiis Chlorus, and was thus to a great extent pre-
Constautine the Great.
pared to receive the teachings of Christ, yet it was only
on the occasion of his great victory at the Milvian bridge,
on the 3d of October, 312, that he permitted himself to
be finally conquered by the cross. With a very inferior
force he had marched against the pretended emperor
Maxeutius, and gave him battle near the Milvian bridge,
just before the gates of Rome. Constantine saw with
extreme anxiety the very superior forces of his formidable
opponent, and his heart was tilled with sad forebodings of
chukch's triumph over iieathejs^ rowERis. 269
an unfavorable result; when, happening to raise his eyes
to the clouds, he beheld in the sky a brilliant cross bear-
ing the inscription, ''In Hoc Stgno Vi?ices." *' By this
Sign thou shalt conquer." Admonished by this extra-
ordinary vision, Constantine at once attached the sign of
the cross to the imperial flag, and soon gained a brilliant
and decisive victory over his oi)ponent. Immediately all
the cruel and bloody edicts against the Christians were
repealed, the religion of Christ was recognized by the
State, and glorious temples were erected for its worship.
The correctness of views held by Constantine, on the
proper relations between Church and State may be inferred
from his remarks at the first General Council at Nice.
From his position amid tlie bishops, and which they had
accorded to him, he said: ''God has placed you as leaders
of the Church; me He has appointed merely to protect and
defend its temporal part.
Once more, in 323, paganism raised its head, under the
pretender Licinus, in the hope of wresting Christendom
from Christianity. On the morning of decisive battle,
Licinus first offered sacrifice to the false gods, and then
addressed his army, saying: " This day will make known
whether we or the Christians are in error. It will decide
between our gods and their crucified God." But he was
defeated by Constantine, for the fortunes of war turned in
favor of the Christians and their God. The efforts of
Julian the Ai)ostate, from 3G1 to 303, had a similar ending.
This man, a nephew of Constantine, endeavored to restore
paganism. But he was specially desirous to render false
the prophecy of Christ concerning the Temple of Jerusa-
lem. Hence he twice issued to rebuild it, but his designs
were thwarted completely, and conquered by the Persians,
he cried out, as he was dying: "Thou hast conquered, 0
Galilean !"
Thus the Roman power, after having waged war against
Christ for centuries, finally bowed down before Christ's
i^l
i
268
diniST IN HIS ( HUKCll.
famous ruler, who possessed all the talents of a successful
general and all the wisdom of a prudent legislator, was
led into the bosom of the Church by an extraordinary
manifestation of divine Providence. Although he had
acquired a knowledge of Christianity in his early years,
both fmmk Ms devout mother, the empress Helen, and
from his intercourse with the Christians who were found
in large numbers in the imperial court of his pagan father,
Constaiitius Chlorus, and was thus to a great extent pre-
Constaiitine the Great.
|jtired to receive the teachings of Christ, yet it was only
mt the occasion of his great victory at the Milviun bridge.
oft the 3d of October, 312, that he permitted himself to
l» finally cou(|Uered by the cross. Witli a very inferior
force he had marched against the pretended emperor
Ma.ventius, and gave him battle near the Milvian bridge,
just before tlie gates of Rome, Constiintine saw with
extreme anxietv the verv superior forces of his formidable
opponent, and his heart was tilled with sad forebodings of
CIIUKCJrs TKIU3irJI OVER IIEATIIEX PuWEKiS. 269
an unfavorable result; when, happening to raise his eyes
to the clouds, he Ijcheld in the sky a brilliant cross bear-
ing the inscription, '' Jfi Hoc Signo Vinces.'' '^ By this
fSign thou shalt conquer." Admonished by this extra-
ordinary vision, Constantine at once attached the sign of
the cross to the imperial flag, and soon gained a brilliant
and decisive victory over his oi)ponent. Immediately all
the cruel and bloody edicts against the Christians were
repealed, the religion of Christ was recognized by the
State, and glorious temples were erected for its worship.
The correctness of views held by Constantine, on the
proper relations between Church and State may be inferred
from his remarks at the first General Council at Nice.
From his position amid the bishops, and which they had
accorded to him, he said: *'God has placed you as leaders
of the Church: me He has ai)pointed merely to protect and
defend its temi)oral i:)art.
Once more, in 323, paganism raised its liead, under the
pretender Licinus, in the hope of wresting Christendom
from Christianity. On the morning of decisive battle,
Licinus first offered sacrifice to the false gods, and then
addressed his army, saying: " This day will make known
whether we or the Christians are in error. It will decide
between our gods and their crucified God." But he was
defeated by Constantine, for the fortunes of war turned in
favor of the Christians and their God. The efforts of
Julian the Ajiostate, from 301 to 3G3, had a similar ending.
This man, a nephew of Constantine, endeavored to restore
paganism. But he was sjoecially desirous to render false
the i)rophecy of Christ concerning the Temple of Jerusa-
lem. Hence he twice issued to rebuild it, but his designs
were thwarted completely, and conquered l)y the Persians,
lie cried out, as he was dying: ''Thou hast conquered, 0
Galilean !"
Thus the Roman power, after having waged war against
Christ for centuries, finally bowed down before Christ's
t
^i
1 1
270
CHKIST IN HIS CHUBCH.
standard, the holy cross; and the spouse of Christ, his holy
Church, had won another glorious victory.
89. Triumph of the Church over the Barbarians
in the Days of the Northern Invasions.
" I will bring unto thee Sisera, the general of the army, and his
chariots and all his multitude, aud will deliver them into thy hand.'
— Judges iv. 7.
Those invasions of the barbarians, which a century and
a half after the death of Constantino were the cause of
the downfall of the Roman empire, had already begun.
Countless hordes of uncivilized tribes; namely the Suevi,
Saxons, Goths, Huns, and Vandals, came from the in-
hospitable regions of western and northern Europe, and
overran the southern countries in search of plunder and
of fairer lands, spreading carnage and devastation on all
sides. Torrents of blood, heaps of slain, and smoking ruins,
marked the patlis pui'siied by these ruthless invaders in their
victorious marches through Gaul, Spam, and Italy. And
who was the first to succeed in subduing and pacifying
these powerful, but rude and uncultivated peojile. whose
descendants are now the inha])itants of civilized Europe?
Who taught them to understand and to love peace and
civilized life, and ti-ained them in knowledge and the arts
of industry? Who defended and preserved for future
generations — who rescued from amid the general wreck
caused by these incursions — the remains of all that civili-
zation, literature, arts, and sciences brought to such per-
fection by ancient Rome? The Catholic Church proved
herself to be the saviour of civilized Europe in those try-
ing times. She, and she alone, won the grand victory
over the barbarous invaders. And when we see these wild
and uncultivated peo})le transformed into gentle and
peacetul tiUerg of the soil, clearing the forests, laying out
ClIUKCUS TIlirMJMI IX IIEII PONTIFFS.
271
}
roads, building bridges, founding towns and cities, culti-
vating even the arts and sc'ences, we see but the result of
the tact, wisdom, and influence of the Church. It is an
indisputable fact of history that the Catholic Church,
through the unceasing energy and piety of her bishops,
missionaries and monks^ established order, social and
political; education, liberty, prosperity, and morality upon
the ruins of the ancient Roman empire, and thus saved
Europe from lapsing into barbarism, idolatry, and super-
stition.
90. The Triumph of the Church in the persons of
her great Pontiffs.
"He hath deposed the mighty from their seat."— Lukp: i. 53.
In return for these benefits conferred upon society,
the Church received but little thanks; for we read in the
history of the middle ages, that proud emperors and
haughty kings raised their hands in threatening attitude
against her, aud sought to deprive her of her well-earned
privileges and rights, to despoil her of her liberty, and to
rob her of her possessions. Often during those centuries
do we see the Church prostrate in affliction and oppression,
but still always protesting against wrong and injustice.
Yet the cloud of adversity soon passes away, and we again
behold her rising from the dust, clad in the shining
garments of victory of her divine-human spouse, and
witnessing in her turn the downfall of her adversaries.
For the divine conqueror of death and hell prepared glo-
rious victories for his Church, by raising up in the time
of need heroic men to hold the keys of Peter: men against
whose wise efficiency the billows of evil dashed themselves
in vain. Thus in early Church history, from 440 to 4G1,
we meet the great popes, Leo I. and Gregory I. In the
year 1077, we find the unrighteous emperor Henry IV. of
I I
272
OlIEIST IN HIS CHURCH.
|\
i
III
Germany, when deserted by his false friends, coming in
the garb of a penitent to mee!; Gregory VII. at Canossa,
in order to seek protection at the hands of that Pontiff
whom he himself had abused and persecuted but a short
time previous. In the twelfth century we see Alexander
III., whose firmness and goodness made such an impression
n»r
on the wayward monarch Frederic Barbaro£sa that he was
willing to kiss the Pontiff's feet.
Pope Innocent III. (1198 to 1216) made the Papacy
more powerful than ever. On the 24th of May, 1814, we
behold the illustrious sufferer, Pius VII., returning amid
shouts of welcome to the eternal city of Christendom,
while almost at the same hour his persecutor, the emperor
CHUUClf S TIUITMFII IN llFAl PONTIFFS. 273
Napoleon I., was signing his papers of abdication in the
Castle at Fontainebleau, which itself had been the prison
of the now triumphant pope. From Gregory VII. to
Pius VII. more than seven hundred years had intervened,
and during that long and stormy period the Popes had
won, by their wisdom, prudence, and indomitable courage.
His Holiness, Pope Leo XHL
many signal victories over the enemies of Christ. Pius
the Ninth of our own day won victories for the Church.
History will call him Pius the Great, and his reign from
1846 to 1877 will be known as the age of Pius the Ninth.
During his lifetime the enemies of the Church predicted;
with Pius IX. the Papacy dies. On the 7th of February,
1877, the gray-haired Pontiff was called to his reward,
and but thirteen days later the world resounded with
I
r
272
CHRIST IX HIS ninioii.
Germany, wlieii desei*ted by his false friends, coming in
the garb of a penitent to mee'. Gregory VII. at Canossa,
in order to sock protection at the liands of tliat Pontiff
whom he hinLself had abused and persecuted but a short
time previous. In the twelfth century we see Alexander
III., whose firmness and goodness made such an impression
on the wayward monarch Frederic Barbarossa that he was
willing to kiss the Pontiff's feet.
Pope Innocent III. (1198 to 1216) made tbe Papacy
more powerful than ever. On the 24th of May, 1814, we
behold the 'illustrious sufferer, Pius VII., returning amid
shouts of welcome to the eternal city of Christendom,
while almost at the same hour his persecutor, the emperor
CllUUC'll's TIMl MPIJ IIS' IIKK PONTIFFS. 273
Napoleon I., was signing his papers of abdication in the
Castle at Fontainebleau, which itself had been the prison
of the now triumphant pope. From Gregory YIL to
Pius VII. more than seven hundred years had intervened,
and during that long and stormy period the Poi)es had
won, by their wisdom, prudence, and indomitable courage,
His Holiness, Pope Leo XTH.
many signal victories over the enemies of Christ. Pius
the Ninth of our own day won victories for the Church.
History will call him Pius the Great, and his reign from
1846 to 1877 will be known as the age of Pius the Ninth.
During his lifetime the enemies of the Church predicted;
with Pius IX. the Papacy dies. On the 7tli of February,
1877, the gray-haired Pontiff was called to his reward,
and but thirteen days later the world resounded with
274
CHRIST IN HIS CUUIiCH.
ciiuKCii's TRIUMPHS OVER iieresif:s.
275
l\
the joyful cry, ''Long live Leo XIII. , Pope and King!"
Catholics look with confidence on this '"light from
heaven."
" After a storm comes a calm, from night to day, from
the cross to the crown," were the watchwords of the chosen
pilots of Peter's bark.
91. The Triumphs of the Church over the
Heresies.
"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your
adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay."— Luke xxi. 15.
The darkest of all the clouds that have ever passed over
the bright disk of the Church were the clouds of lieresy.
But in this case, as in most others, the propliecy is veri-
fied: "From night to day, from cross to crown."
How often we have seen the holy successors of the
Galilean fisherman presiding with wisdom, learning, and
piety over tlie grand councils of the Church, and there
winning glorious and decisive victories over heretics and
their errors! The spectacle deserves our attention. A
teacher of error arises. His new doctrines invariably
flatter the senses and gratify the pride of men. Many
persons, sometimes whole nations, and even priests and
bishops, fall into the snare. The Church of God seems
to totter towards complete ruin; her enemies are already
rejoicing at her downfall. Anon a voice of authority is
heard. The successor of St. Peter summons to his side,
from every quarter of Christendom, the faithful and
learned bishops of the Church, and together they discuss,
often for months and even years, the disputed and denied
dogmas of the Church. At last, in solemn session, the
Fathers of the Church formulate for all time their inspired
decisions, promulgate them to the world, and condemn
the heretic and his errors. The world is astounded; and
presumptuous and self-sufficient men of learning demur.
Princes and statesmen pass enactments and issue protests
against the decisions of the Fathers. The enemies of the
Church are exasperated. But wait! one twelvemonth, or
at most a few years elapse, and the storm has subsided;
the opponents are silent; unity and peace once more pre-
vail. What has become, for instance, of those men who
in 1870 pronounced the Church as dying? Of the sect
called "Old Catholics" hardly a dozen remain. The
Church laments their disloyalty, but they have not weak-
ened her. More than ever before she is the centre of all
history, and even her enemies acknowledge her victory
over the most recent assaults. The profane historian tries
in vain to explain this result; while the believing Christian
knows that it is Christ, the glorious Victor, who has
secured this triumph to his Church. How many times
has this grand scene been presented to the wondering
eyes of men, from the days of the Council of Nice down
to the glorious Council of the Vatican! It was not worldly
wisdom that won the victory; " This is the victory which
overcometh the world. Our Faith." [1 John v. 4.]
Ever since the Catholic Church has become known to
Americans, many of the best and purest as well as of the
most learned among them have recognized her beauty and
truth, and have sought, by entering her portals, to enkindle
within their own individual souls the mysterious life of
Christ, which they saw so strikingly reproduced in his
one true Church. Among these only a few can be men-
tioned here, namely : Archbishops Bailey, Wood, and
Eccleston; Bishops Gilmour, Young, Eosecrans, and
Wadhams; Drs. Brownson and Ives; Rev. Fathers Hecker,
Preston, Walworth, Deshon, Baker; Mother Seton, foun-
dress of the Sisters of Charity, and many others.
i
276
OHEIST IN HIS CHUBCH.
[|!
92. The Triumph of the Church in her Conversions
— The Converts.
" Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? It is hard for thee to
kick against the goad."— Acts op th$: Apostles xxvi. 14.
There are other victories too; choice and glorious and
consoling, and won by Christ in his Church: namely, the
return of many worthy men and women out of the slough
of error to the bosom
of their holy mother.
It is not possible to
enumerate these con-
versions, comprising
the best men and
women of all classes.
Among them are elo-
quent orators, such
as Joseph Emman-
uel Veitli, the preach-
er of the Cathedral
in Vienna. Among
the painters, Over-
beck; the architect
Habsch; the theolo-
gian Stolberg; and
many others.
England is especiiilly the land of converts. In her
metropolis mighty men, such as Cardinal Wiseman, proved
to Englishmen that genuine love of liberty and civilizing
knowledge are to be found chiefly in the bosom of the
Catholic Church. Of the number of English converts we
may form some idea from the fact that during the last
fifty years, nearly four hundred Anglican ministers, among
them Cardinals Manning and Newman, and more than
five hundred of the students and professors, all learned
Cardinal Newman.
church's triumph in her conversions. 277
men, have returned to the bosom of the Church of their
forefathers. What influence has been at work to produce
these countless illustrious conversions? Not indeed the
lust of the flesh, nor greed, nor ambition, which have
sometimes led weak and unfortunate Catholics away from
their faith. No ; it is the power of grace, the majesty,
dignity, and beauty of the ancient Church that has
brought them over. Many of these converts are men of
education and refinement: while by far the greater num-
ber are men of un-
blemished lives and
high intelligence,
who have renounced
friends, country, po-
sition, and ample
means of livelihood ;
braved opposition,
ridicule,and poverty,
in order to obey the
voice of truth and to
heed the warnings
of conscience. Many
who had won fame
and position among
men, retired from
the world in order cardinal Manning.
to devote the remainder of their lives to prayer and pen-
ance in the cell of a monastery; interceding continually
for the conversion of their still erring brethren. These
are noiseless and bloodless, but precious victories for the
Church, who whilst the enemies of light and truth are
raging against her, in quiet and prayerful seclusion is
multiplying her victorious laurels, all of which will deck
her brow on the day of judgment.
t' i
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270
CHRIST IN HIS CailJRCH.
92. The Triumph of the Church in her Conversions
— The Converts.
'* Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? It is hard for thee to
kick against the goad." — Act.'* of the ArosTLEs xxvi. 14.
Tliere are other victories too; clioice and glorious and
consoling, and won by Christ in his Church: namely, the
return of many worthy men and women out of the slough
of error to the bosom
of their holy mother.
It is not possible to
enumerate these con-
versions, comprising
the best men and
women of all classes.
Among them are elo-
quent orators, such
as Joseph Emman-
uel Yeith, the preach-
er of the Cathedral
in Vienna. Among
the painters, Over-
l)eck; the architect
Hiibsch; the theolo-
gian Stolberg; and
many others.
England is especially the land of converts. In her
metropolis mighty men, such as Cardinal Wiseman, proved
to Englishmen that genuine love of liberty and civilizing
knowledge are to be found chiefly in the bosom of the
Catholic Church. Of the number of English converts we
may form some idea from the fact that during the last
fifty years, nearly four hundred Anglican ministers, among
them Cardinals Manning and Newman, and more than
five hundred of the students and professors, all learned
Cardinal Newman.
ClIUKCirs TRIUMPH IN JIKll OOxWKKSIONS. 277
men, have returned to the bosom of the Church of their
forefathers. What influence has been at work to produce
these countless illustrious conversions? Not indeed the
lust of the flesh, nor greed, nor ambition, w^hich have
sometimes led weak and unfortunate Catholics awav from
their faith. No ; it is the power of grace, the majesty,
dignity, and beauty of the ancient Church that has
brought them over. Many of these converts are men of
education and refinement: while by far the greater num-
ber are men of un-
blemished lives and
high intelligence,
who have renounced
friends, country, jio-
sition, and ample
means of livelihood ;
braved opposition,
ridicule, and poverty,
in order to obey the
voice of truth and to
heed the warnings
of conscience. Many
who had won fame
and position among
men, retired from
the world in order cardinal Manning.
to devote the remainder of their lives to prayer and pen-
ance in the cell of a monastery; interceding continually
for the conversion of their still erring brethren. These
are noiseless and bloodless, but precious victories for the
Church, who whilst the enemies of light and truth are
raging against her, in quiet and prayerful seclusion is
multiplying her victorious laurels, all of which will deck
her brow on the day of judgment.
w
278
0IIRI8T IN HIS CHURCH.
93, The Triumph of the Church in the Arts and
Sciences.
" Jesus spoke : I am the light of the world ; he that f olloweth
me, walketh not in darkness." — John viii. 12.
Amoug the many countless and priceless treasures
bestowed upon the human family by the goodness of its
Creator, the arts and sciences take a prominent rank.
But to the Catholic Church is due a debt of gratitude for
the care with which she has encouraged the arts and
The Cathedral of Cologne.
sciences, and preseiTcd them against the destructive ten-
dencies of thoughtless, uncivilized, and malicious men.
Art has at all times found a fostering mother in the
ancient Church. The homes of her bishops, the halls of
her cloisters, have always been thrown open to the artist.
The Popes always endeavored to draw around them men
CHURCH TRIUMPH IN ART8 AND SCIENCES. 279
of skill and cultivation, and to encourage and elevate
them in the pursuit of their refined calling. In fact,
where could the artist find himself more at home than in
the beauteous precincts of the Church ? The heavenly
doctrines there proclaimed, the sacred story there related,
the sublime and significant festival there celebrated, the
solemn service, the very building itself in which the ador-
ing worshippers kneel in silent prayer or raise their united
voices in praise to the great Creator — these are themes
well calculated to inspire the genius and awaken the
enthusiasm of the poet, painter, musician, and architect.
Hence, it was by true sons of the Church, devout Catho-
lics, that those immortal works of art were produced,
which even the heretical and unbelieving tourists are to-
day compelled to pronounce beyond imitation.
In the department of music, the reader may recall the
names of the founders of the majestic old Church chants;
more especially the name of Gregory the Great, and later
of Palestrina, Allegri, Cherubini, Mozart, Haydn, Lam-
billotte, and countless others of hardly less merit.
In ancient Catholic poetry, we possess such brilliant
writers as Sts. Ambrose, Prudentius, Paulinus, and Sedi-
lius. Later on, we have the devout poets of the middle
ages, Conrad of Queenfort, John of Salzburg, Lopez,
Calderon, Dante, Tasso, Chaucer, Spenser, Shakesi)eare,
and many others.
Among the Catholic painters, we remember with ])ride
Ficsole, Da Vinci, Raphael, Voneyck, Vandyke, Diirer;
and in subsequent years, an endless array of painters,
down to the devout and artistic Overbeck.
In the line of sculpture, the Church justly claims as
her children, Pisano, Buouarotti, Schonhofer, Kraft,
Styrlin, Canova, and many others.
To the skill and taste of Catholic architects, we are
indebted for the statelv and endurinor monuments that rise
in glorious proportions in almost every country in Europe.
<l
278
ClIUlST IN HIS CIIUKOII.
93. The Triumph of the Church in the Arts and
Sciences.
"Jesus spoke: I am the light of the world ; he that followcth
me, walketh not in darkness." — John viii. 12.
Among tlie many countless and priceless treasures
bestowed upon the human family by the goodness of its
Oreator, the arts and sciences take a prominent rank.
But to the Catholic Church is due a debt of gratitude for
the care with wliieh she has encouraired the arts and
The Cathedral of Cologne.
sciences, and preserved them against the destructive ten-
dencies of thoughtless, uncivilized, and malicious men.
Art has at all times found a fostering mother in the
ancient Church. The homes of her bishops, the halls of
her cloisters, have always been thrown open to the artist.
The Popes always endeavored to draw around them men
CHUKC'll TUll MPII IN AKT8 AND SCIENCES. 279
of skill and cultivation, and to encourage and elevate
them in the jjursuit of their refined calling. In fact,
where could the artist find himself more at home than in
the beauteous precincts of the Church ? The heavenly
doctrines there proclaimed, the sacred story there related,
the sublime and significant festival there celebrated, the
solemn service, the very building itself in which the ador-
ing worshippers kneel in silent praver or raise their united
voices in praise to the great Creator — these are themes
well calculated to inspire the genius and awaken the
enthusiasm of the poet, painter, musician, and architect.
Hence, it was by true sons of the Church, devout Catho-
lics, that those immortal works of art were produced,
which even the heretical and unbelieving tourists are to-
day compelled to pronounce beyond imitation.
In the department of music, the reader may recall the
names of the founders of the majestic old Church chants;
more especially the name of Gregory the Great, and later
of Palestrina, Alleo^ri, Cherubini, Mozart, Ilavdn, Lam-
billotte. and countless others of hardly less merit.
In ancient Catholic poetry, we possess such brilliant
writers as Sts. Ambrose, Prudentius, Paulinus, and Sedi-
lius. Later on, we have the devout poets of the middle
ages, Conrad of Queenfort, John of Salzburg, Lopez,
Calderon, Dante, Tasso, Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare,
and many others.
Among the Catholic painters, we remember with ])ride
Ficsole, Da Vinci, Raphael, Voneyck, Vandyke, Diirer;
and in subsequent years, an endless array of i)ainters,
down to the devout and artistic Overbeck.
In the line of sculpture, the Church justly claims as
her children, Pisano, Buonarotti, Schonliofer, Kraft,
Styrlin, Canova, and many others.
To the skill and taste of Catholic architects, we are
indebted for the statelv and enduriii": monuments that rise
in glorious proportions in almost every country in Europe.
280
CHRI8T IN HIS CHURCH.
A Church that has begotten, trained, and educated
such a race of giant minds and intellects, should not
certainly be taunted as the enemy of the arts and
sciences.
The Catholic world in all ages has been prodigal in
affording encouragement to genuine art.
The same is true with regard to Christian science.
Ignorant and insolent writers and speakers call our
beloved Church the enemy of science and enlightenment.
But they forget intentionally all that the Church in her
motherly love and solicitude has done for the education of
her children, all that she is still doing. They fail to
remember, or refuse to admit and to proclaim, that dur-
ing long and troublesome centuries science had no pro-
tection or shelter save what it found in monasteries,
churches, and cathedrals. They forget that those re-
nowned seats of learning, the great universities of Europe,
were to a great extent founded and maintained by popes
and bishops, who by ecclesiastical regulations, liberal
endowments, and many rights and privileges, have ren-
dered these seats of learning the pride of all Christendom.
These renowned Catholic men, so deeply versed in every
department of science; the immortal achievements which
they have bequeathed to posterity ; the long-continued
and successful, and eminently useful prosperity of the
schools of learning which she called into existence, form
but a portion, though a grand and proud one, of the
triumph which Christ her founder and the " Light of
the World," has achieved over darkness and ignorance.
They forget that the most accomplished scholars and the
deepest thinkers sprang from the bosom of the mother
Church.
CONCLUSION.
Conclusion.
281
THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHURCH ON THE LAST DAY.
"It triumpheth crowned forever, winning the reward." — Wis-
dom iv. 2.
Although no man can question all these triumphs of
the Church, yet she must ever continue to be, here below,
the Church militant, and be willing and ready to undergo
all thos.e humiliations and persecutions which her divine
Founder was willing to accept during his life on earth.
But on that great and glorious day, on which, at last, the
weary conflict shall be brought to a final close, death be
forever vanquished, and when the cross of Christ shall
shine resplendent with celestial glory above the nations of
the earth on the great Judgment Day, the Church mili-
tant will win her last permanent triumph, and become for
all eternity the Church triumphant in heaven.
The history of early Christianity furnishes us with a
feeble, though true and edifying picture of the great tri-
umph which the cross — that is, the Church of the Cruci-
fied— ^will celebrate on the last day. In the year 326, the
pious empress Helena, who from childhood had cherished
in her soul the laudable design of recovering the holy cross
upon which our blessed Lord and Redeemer had consum-
mated man's redemption, set out, followed by the best
wishes of her son Constantine the Great, and the prayers
of all her Christian subjects, from her own country on her
way to the holy city of Jerusalem. But alas! on arriving
at her destination, she discovered that the places which
had been once consecrated by the passion and death of
Christ, had for more than two hundred years been dese-
crated by the heathens. The pagan emperor Adrian, in
order to show his contempt for the teachings of the Cross,
had permitted an idolatrous temple to be built on Mount
Calvary. Relying confidently on divine assistance, the
tl
282
CHRIST IN Hiss CllLKCll.
COXCLUSIOX.
283
!1
pious empress had the temple pulled down, the rubbish
removed, and excavations made; till at last the grotto of
the holy sepulchre was discovered, and lying near it were
three crosses, with the nails and the inscription. This
inscription having become detached from the cross, the
question now arose which of the three was the cross of
Christ. In this emergency, Macarius, the holy bishop of
Jerusalem, conceived the idea of carrying the three crosses
to a well-known pious lady of the city who was lying dan-
The Finding «»f the True Cross.
gerously ill. In presence of the emi)ress and several court-
attendants, two crosses were ai)]>liod to the ])crson of the
invalid, but without any result. Hardly, however, had
the third cross touched her, when she felt new life cours-
ing vehemently through her hitherto withered and para-
lyzed limbs, and she arose immediately from her bed in
the full enjoyment of health and strength. Wlio can con-
ceive the joy that must have thrilled the heart of the pious
empress and other witnesses of this miracle? The cross
of Jesus, which was once a folly to the Gentiles and a
stumbling-block to the Jews; the cross of Christ, once the
sign of shame and disgrace; the cross of Christ, which for
centuries had lain concealed in dishonor beneath the tem-
ple of Venus, now came forth from its obscurity to be
lifted up m honor and triumph before tJie eyes of the
nations. And while the gi-ateful empress embraced the
sacred wood with unspeakable reverence and consolation
The Glories of the Final Triumph of Our Lord.
and the holy bisliop Macarius proclaimed the wondrous
works of God, a thrill of joyfnl gi-atitude ran through the
hearts of the multitude, who with one accord raised their
voices in joyful praise and shouts of triumph for Him who
by his death on the cross had conquered sin and hell
If then the Cross of Christ was tlius victorious and
triumphant m those days; if it is still so to an eminent
degree eyen m our day of strife and oppression, how trans-
i
282
ClUUST IN Ills CJII i:cii.
COXCLUSIOX.
283
I
piouiB empress had the temple i)iilk'd down, the rubbisli
remored, and excavations made; till at last the grotto of
the holy sepulchre was discovered, and lying near it were
three crosses, with the nails and the inscription. This
inscription having Ixjcome detached from the cross, the
question now ai'ose which of the tliree was the cross of
Christ. In this emergency, Macariiis, the holy bishop of
Jernsalem, conceived the idea of carrying the three crosses
to a well-known pious lady of the city who was lying dan-
T\\t^ Fimling of thf True Crtws.
gerously ill. In presence of the emi)ress and several court-
attendants, two crosses were aj)j>licd to the i)crson of the
invalid, l)ut without sinv result. Hardlv, lu^wcver, luid
ft » '
the third cross touched her. when she felt new life court-
ing vehemently through her hitherto withered and i)ara-
lyzed limbs, and she arose immediately from her bed in
the fnll enjoyment of health and strength. WIio can con-
ceive the joy that must have thrilled the heart of the i)ious
empress and other witnesses of this miracle? The cross
of Jesus, which was once a folly to the Gentiles and a
stumbling-block to the Jews; the cross of Christ, once the
sign of shame and disgrace; the cross of Christ, which for
centuries had lain concealed in dishonor beneath the tem-
ple of Yomxs, now came forth from its obscurity to be
lifted up m honor and triumph before the eyes of the
nations. And while the grateful empress embraced the
sacred wood with unspeakable reverence and consolation
The Glories of the Fhial Triumph of Our Lord.
and the holy bishop Maearius proclaimed the wondrous
works of God, a thrill of joyful gratitude ran through the
hearts of the multitude, who with one accord raised their
voices in joyful praise and shouts of triumph for Him who
by his death on the cross liad conquered sin and hell
If then the Cross of Christ was thus victorious and
triumphant in those days; if it is still so to an eminent
degree even in our day of strife and oppression, how trans-
li
284
CHRIST 11^ HIS CHURCH.
cendently glorious will bo its triumph on the diiy of judg-
ment, when it shall appear in dazzling splendor above the
heads of all mankind ! The glories of this last great tri-
umph of our crucified Lord, and of his persecuted Church,
have been vividly portrayed by St. Jolin the Evangelist
in his book of Eevelations:
"After these things, I heard as it were tlie voice of
much people in licaven, saying: Alleluia ! salvation and
glory and power u to our God. And the four and twenty
ancients and the four living creatures fell down and
adored God that sitteth upon the throne, saying, Amen !
alleluia! And I heard as it were the voice of a great mul-
titude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of great thunders; and the voice of harpers and them that
play on the pipe and on the trumpet. And they sang a
new canticle: Alleluia! the Lord our God, the Almighty,
hath reigned. Babylon is fallen, the great is fallen. Let
us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the mar-
riage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath prepared
herself. And it is granted to her that she should clothe
herself with fine linen, glittering and white. For the fine
linen are the justifications of the saints. And I saw the
heaven opened, and beheld a white horse, and he that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and with justice
doth he judge and fight. And his eyes were as a flame of
fire, and on his head were many diadems, and he had a
name written which no man knoweth but himself. And
he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood; and
his name is called The Word ef God, And the armies that
are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine
linen white and clean. And he hath on his garment and
on his thigh written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords."
Such will be the day of the Lord, the day of his last,
greatest, most signal, and most enduring victory.
RETROSPECT
OF
CHURCH HISTORY, ACCORDING -TO
AGES AND CENTURIES.
I. The Three Epochs.
THE whole period of time embraced in Church history
may be divided into three ages; namely. Christian
Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and Iilodern Times.
I. Christian antiquity covers the period from the birth
of Christ to the reign of Charlemagne, about the year of
our Lord 800. During tlie greater portion of thi§ age, we
find Christianity most flourishing chiefly among the
ancients ; that is to say, among the Greeks and Romans,
We see the Church maintaining her position, through
bloody conflict, for three hundred years, against the impe-
rial power of mighty Pagan Rome, making that time the
** Age of Martyrdom.'' During that same period, as well
as during the following three or four hundred years, she
preached and developed, though amid mighty conflicts
with heretics and heresies, the saving truths which had
been entrusted to her keeping. This was the "Age of
the Church Fathers."
As early as the second part of the age of Christian
antiquity, several strange peoples, chief among them the
Germans and Franks, invaded the Roman Empire, bowed
down before the Cross of Christ, embraced Christianity,
and gradually, under tlie reign of Charlemagne, took their
palaces in the history of the Church, in lieu of the ancients.
^ HIS ciiuucii.
TIIK FIKST CEXTUUY.
287
Re Middle Ages, Cliristianity lived, acted,
TTed chiefly among these German and Koman-
55^ peoples. The apostolic chair of St. Peter's in
Rome was the rallying-point, about which all these mem-
bers of the various Christian families gathered together.
Religious and civil life, Church and State, were, notwith-
standing many a contest between Popes and Emperors,
closely united together. The happy results of this union
may be seen in the monastic life, and in the glorious
monuments of religious architecture which even now
awaken our admiration ; also in the Crusades and in the
Orders of Knight-errantry, and in the renowned and crowd-
ed universities of learning.
III. Modern times in Church history usually take their
date from the so-called Reformation. It has been a period
of resistance to lawful authority on the one side, while on
the other side it has been a time of most intimate and
faithful adhesion of the true and stanch Catholics to
their ancient Church. Social and civil life have been con-
stantly losing their Christian character ; while the Church,
on the contrary, in the midst of persecution, has been
strengthening herself from day to day in her inner life,
in preparation for the time when the nations of the earth,
warned by the chastisements of Heaven, shall seek within
her pale help, safety, and renewed vitality.
* The Romanesque people were those people in France, Spain,
and Italy who sprang from the mingling of the Germans with the
ancient Romans.
The First Century,
OB
The Century of the Apostles and their Disciples.
A.D.
34 The Coming of the Holy Ghost on Whitsunday
(page 17). The Rise and Growth of the First Chris-
tian Congregation (page 27). St. Peter converts 3000
persons on one day, and 5000 on another (page 29).
Conversion of St. Paul (page 32).
36 St. Stephen the First Martyr is stoned to death
(page 189).
39 St. Peter converts Cornelius the Centurion (page 29).
4a The Apostles go forth as Missionaries to all lands
(page 41).
51 The Council of the Apostles at Jerusalem (page 124).
54- St. Paul preaches at Ephesus, Macedonia, Illyria, and
58 Greece (page 35).
^7 St. Peter and St. Paul are put to death by the Empe-
ror Nero (pages 31 and 40).
70 Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus
(page 247).
95 St. John the Evangelist is cast into a caldron of boil-
ing oil, from which he comes out uninjured (page
41). Beginning of the Gnostic heresy (page 216).
After the Apostles appear Sts. Titus, Timothy, Cle-
ment, Ignatius, Polycarp, and the holy men who re-
ceived the doctrines of salvation and their Apostolic
Missions directly from the Apostles themselves. Per-
secutions of the Christians by the Jews, pagans, und
the Emperors Nero and Domitian (pages 245 to 250).
The following are the four Popes who reigned during
the first century:
1. St. Peter 67
2. St. Linus 73
3. St. Cletus "^'gS
4. St. Clement 100
^
288
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
The Second Century,
OR
The Century of the Christian Apologists.
X07 St. Sjmeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, and St. Ignatius,
Bishop of Antioch, are put to death (page 116).
125 Quadratus, Aristides, Justin, Athenagoras, Tatian,
to Theophilus, Tertullian, and other illustrious Apolo-
180 gists, by their writings and by word of mouth, ably
and successfully deny and refute the unfounded
calumnies uttered by the pagans against the Chris-
tians; such as being Atheists, or despisers of the
Deity, traitors, murderers, and the like. The Found-
ing and Growth of the Church in Asia (page 55), and
in Africa at Alexandria and Carthage (page 60);
also in Italy, Spain, France (page 45), England (page
47), and the Rhine Countries (page 50). The Gnos-
tics arise. The chief abettors of this heresy are Ba-
silides and Saturninus (about a.d. 125), Valentine,
Marcion, and Bardesanes (page 217). The heretical
moral reformer, Montanus (between 140-150), denies
the co-operation of the Holy Ghost in the work
of Christ. Praxeas (192-202) denies the doctrine of
the Blessed Trinity. Violent persecutions against the
Church under the Emperors Trajan, Adrian, Mar-
cus Aurelius, and Septimus Severus (page 250).
The eleven Popes of the second century are:
DIKD
5. St. Anacle 112
6. St. Evaristus 121
7. St. Alexander 132
8. St. SixtusI 142
9. St. Telesporus 154
10. StHyginus 158
DIED
11. St. Pius 1 167
12. St. Anicetus 175
13. St. Soter 182
14. St. Eleutherius 193
15. St. Victor I aw
THE THIRD CENTURY.
The Third Century,
OB
The Century of Origen.
289
A.D.
202 Martyrdom of St. Irenaeus (page 117).
203 Clement of Alexandria is succeeded by Origen.
Among the men who, in the course of this century,
amid the persecutions of the Christians by the Em-
perors Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian, keep the
torch of Christian knowledge burning brightly,
thereby exerting a decisive influence on their con-
temporaries and posterity, we find Origen, St. Cy-
prian, and Tertullian (pages 117 and 118); also count-
less anchorites and holy hermits, such as St. Paul of
Thebes (page 19G).
227 The Persian Manes (page 217) teaches Manichoeism,
the doctrine that there are two Eternal Beings,
Light and Darkness, constantly warring with each
other for supremacy.
230 Martyrdom of St. Cecilia (page 211).
240 Death of Tertullian, who in his later years is led
astray from the Church by the doctrines of Monta-
nus (page 118).
249 Death of Origen (page 118).
250 St. Antony, the first Hermit (page 158). The cities
of Toledo, Leon, Tarragona, Cordova, and Elvira,
in Spain, become bishoprics (page 45).
258 Martyrdom of St. Cyprian (page 118).
The fifteen Popes of this century are:
DIED
16. St. Zephyrinus 230
,17. St. CalixtusI 227
la St. Urban I ^3
19. St. Pontian 238
30. St. Anterus 239
21. St. Fabian 2.53
22. St. Cornelius 2.'>5
23. St. Lucius L 357
DIED
24. St. Stephen 1 260
25. St. Sixtusir 2GI
20. St. Dionysius 273
27. St. Felix 1 2«o
28. St. Eutychian ^
29. StCaius 296
30. St. Marcellinus 304
i
290
CIIKIST IX HIS cm KCIT.
The Fourth Century,
OB
The Cextury of the Great Church Fathers.
A.D.
305 The celibacy of the clergy is made a fixed law by the
bishops assembled at the synod of Elvira (page 141).
307 Martyrdom of St. Catharine (page 213).
312 Victory of Constantino the Great (pnge 2G8). With
Constantiue ends the ''i\gc of Martyrdom," and be-
gins '* the period of the Great Fathers of tlie Church."
Within thi3 century occurs the glorious period of
Sts. Athanasius, liilarius, Ephrem, Cyril of Jerusa-
lem, Epi])hanias, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory
Nazianzen, Chrysostom, Jerome, Ambrose, and partly
of St. Augustine (pages 119-122),
313 Bishops assembled at Rome pronounce judgment
against the Donatists, who held that baptism is in-
valid if conferred by a heretic.
325 First General Council at Nice (page 125), at which
the Arian heresy is condemned (page 218).
328 St. Athanasius, at the age of thirty, is made Arch-
bishop of Alexandria (page 118).
340 Death of Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, the father of
Church historv.
356 Death of St. Antonv, founder of monastic life (mse
158). ~ ^^ ^
361 Julian the Apostate becomes Emperor (page 269).
381 Second General Council at Constantinople, in which
the Errors of Macedonius against the Divinity of
the Holy Ghost are condemned (page 125).
386 Death of St. Cyril of Jerusalem (page 119).
387 Death of St. Monica, mother of St.' Augustine (mse
210). b VI fc
390 Contest between St. Ambrose (page 119) and the
THE FIFTH CENTURY.
291
Emperor Theodosius, in which the latter submits
and does penance for his crime.
During this century Ufila, bishop of the Western
Goths, translates the Bible into Gothic.
The eleven Popes of the fourth century are: *
DIED
81. St. Marcellus 1 809 87. St Liberiua ^^^t
t If-^Tn^^^ F ^' it-FSfx l^■.■.•.•.■.v.v;.:::; 3^
S- IJ- Me^chiades 814 39. St. Damasus m
S' iJ- Svlvester I , 337 40. St. Sirieius. .:[ m
i: it:jLuL"V.::::.-.-.:::.:::::: i^ ''- st Ana^tasius i ^
The Fifth Century,
OB
The Century of Pope Leo the Gre^t
A.D.
407 Death of St. John Chrysostom (page 122).
410 Home is taken and plundered by the Goths under
Alaric.
430 St. Augustine dies as the Vandals are invading Africa
(pages 61 and 120).
431 Third General Council, held at Ephesus (page 125),
declares in opposition to JSTestorius that there is but
one person in Christ, and not two separate persons,
and establishes and confirms the dignity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God (page 220).
432 St. Patrick adds Ireland to the list of Christian na-
tions (page 48).
440 Pope Leo I., who, during the pontificate' of Popes
Celestine L and Sixtus III, though only in deacon's
orders, wielded a great influence, is made Pope, and
becomes in the hands of God an instrument to pro-
tect and honor the Church during the decay of the
Roman Empire and the invasions of heathens and
the assaults of the Arians (page 270).
292
A.D
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
444 Death of the holy Father of the Church, St. Cyril of
Alexandria (page 119).
449 Pope Leo the Great meets Attila, and saves Italy
(page 149).
451 Fourth General Council, at Chalcedon, declares
against the heretic Eutyches (page 220), and de-
fines the revealed teaching of faith that in Christ
there are two distinct natures, the divine and the
human, hypostatically united in one divine person
(page 125).
476 Fall of the Roman Empire in the West, under the
Emperor Romulus Augustulus.
494 Feast of the Purification is introduced into the West
by Pope Gelasius (page 109).
496 Conversion and baptism of the French King Clovis
(pa^e 46).
The eleven Popes of the fifth century are:
42. St Innocent 1 417 48. St. Hilary 4«
43 St ZoSw 418 49. St. Simplicius -^
45. St. Celestine 1 432 51 St. Gela^us I. 496
46. St. Sixtus m 440 52. St. Anastasius IL 498
47. St. Leo L The Great 4oll
The Sixth Century,
OB
529
The Century of St. Benedict.
St. Benedict, by his monastic rule, which is the foun-
dation of monasticism in all ages of the Church, as
well as by his founding of the Benedictine Order,
works undying good for the civilization of Europe,
for the development of the Church, and for the sal-
vation of souls (page 161). With Pope St. Gregory
I. he shares the glory of this century.
THE SEVENTH CENTURY.
293
A.D.
553 Fifth General Council at Constantinople (page 126).
560 Council of Tours and that of Macon (586) enforce
the offering of tithes (page 144).
565 St. Columkille carries the faith to Scotland (page
48).
570 Birth of Mohammed (page 57).
596 St. Augustine and forty missionaries found the
Church in England (page 47).
597 Death of St. Columkille (page 48).
During this century the Western Goths in Spain, the
Burgundians in Eastern France, and partially also
the Lombards in Northern Italy, abandon Arianism
and join the true Church.
The fourteen Popes of the sixth century are:
DIED
53. St. Symmachus. 514
64. St. Honnisdas 523
55. St. JohnI 526
56. St. Felix IV 530
57. Boniface U 532
58. JohnU 535
69. St. Agapitus 536
DIED
ea St. Silverius 538
61. Vigilius 555
62. P^iagiusI 560
63. Johnin 573
64. Benedict 1 578
65. PelagiusII 590
66. St. Gregory I. The Great . . 604
The Seventh Century,
OB
The Century of Mohammedanism.
6io Mohammed pretends to have visions,
6ii Mohammed first appears as a public teacher, declar-
ing "there is but one God, and Mohammed is his
prophet" (page 57).
622 Flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina (page
67).
630 Mohammed marches on Mecca, and takes possession
of the city (page 57).
632 Death of Mohammed (page 57). During this century
294
A.D.
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
tlie Mohammadans overrun "Western Asia, Africa,
and Spain (page 57), while the Church in the East
is convulsed with unceasing theological disputes*
Whilst agitated by the violent interference of the
Byzantine Emperors in ecclesiastical questions, and
tending towards decay, new Church life is awakened
in England, Scotland, and Ireland. The faith is
carried from Ireland to Germany and Switzerland
(page 40).
637 The Mohammedans take Jerusalem.
680 Birth of St. Boniface (page 51). The Sixth General
Council, at Constantinople, condemns the Monothe-
lites.
The twenty Popes of the seventh century are;
DIED
67. Sabinianus
606
68. Boniface UI . . . .
607
61). St. Boniface IV .
615
70. St. Adeodatus I.
619
71. Boniface V
6i>
72. Honorius I
(m
73. Severinus
640
74. John IV
642
75. Theodoras I
(U9
76. St. Martini
635
77. St. Eugenius I . . ,
78. St. Vitalian
79. Adeodatus 11. . . .
80. Domnus I
DIED
. 656
. 67a
. 676
678
81. St. Agatho 682
82. St. Leo II 683
as. St. Benedict II 685
84. John V 686
85. Conon 687
86 St. Sergiusl.
roi
The Eighth Century,
QB
The OiiTftTRY OF St. Boniface.
718 Zeal and activity of St. Boniface. He is antlidrized
by Pope Gregory II. to evangelize the Germans (page
51).
723 St. Boniface is made bishop, and changes the name
Winifred, which he received in baptism, to that of
Boniface (page 51).
727 The Greek Emperor, Leo the Isaiirian, and the heresy
of Iconoclfism (page 222).
THE XINTII CENTUKY.
295
A.D,
742
King Luitprand gives Pope Zachary the city and
province of Sutri as the lawful property/ of St. Peter,
thus forming the nucleus of the '' Temporal Power"
(page 150).
752 Pepin the Small, son of Charles Martell and father
of Charlemagne, is anointed King of France (page
52).
753 St. Boniface receives the martyr's crown (page 52).
770 Death of St. John Damascene (page 119).
787 Seventh General Council, at Nice, sustains and con-
firms the time-honored and pious veneration of
images (page 223).
The twelve Popes of the eighth century are:
DIED
87. John VI 70.5
88. John VII 707
89. Sisinnius 708
90. Constantine 715
91. St. Gregory II 731
92. St. Gregory III 741
DIED
93. St. Zacharias 752
94. Stephen IT 752
95. Stephen III ^'57
96. St.PaulI 767
97. StephenI V 771
98. Adrian 1 795
The Ninth Century,
OR
The Century of the Great Schism ix the East.
800 Pope St. Leo III. crowns Charlemagne Roman Em-
peror; that is to say, constitutes him protector of the
Church, and chief among the Christian princes in
the West.
831 Paschasius Radbertus originates the first controversy
on the Real Presence, in Avhich John Erigena ap-
pears, as forerunner of Zwingli (page 236).
848 The monk Gottschalk renews the controversy on Pre-
to destination, holding that some i^ersons have been
849 preordained by God to be lost.
869 Eighth General Council, at Constantinoi^le, exposes
296
CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
and condemns the wickedness of Photius, who was
seeking to separate the Eastern from the Western
Church, in which attempt he was successful (page
223). During this century the Saxons, Northmen,
Swedes, Norwegians, and Bohemians are converted
(page 52).
The twenty-one Popes of the ninth century are*
99.
100.
St Leo m.
Stephen V
DTED
816
817
101. St. Paschall 884
102. Eugenius II 827
103. Valentine 8^
104. Gregory IV 844
105. Sergius IL 847
106. St. Leo IV 855
107. Benedict m 868
108. St. Nicholas L The Great.. 867
109. AdrianU 872
DIED
110. JohnVni 882
111. Marinus 1 884
118. Adrianin 885
113. Stephen VI . . 891
114. Forraosus 896
115. Boniface VI 896
116. Stephen VII 898
117. Romanus 898
118. Theodoras n 898
119. JohnllL 900
Tlie Tenth Century,
OR
The Century of the Assaults on the Chair of Peter.
A. D.
911 Hollo, the most skilful and daring of all the Nor-
man chiefs, is converted and baptized under the
name of Robert, and shortly after marries the royal
princess Gisela. Robert and his successors protect
the frontiers of the "West-Frankish Empire from in-
vasion by the Normans, religion flourishes, and the
great French Benedictine monastery, which after-
ward exerts such a powerful and salutary influence,
is founded at Cluny.
942 Death of St. Odo, Abbot of Cluny.
950 Hierotheus, first bishop of the Hungarians (page 53).
955 The Russian princess Olga (Helena) is baptized at
Constantinople. Her grandson, Wladimir the Great,
labors to establish Christianity among the Russians.
THE ELEVENTH CENTURY.
297
962 The Polish Duke Mieczyslaw, through the influence
of his wife, Dombrowka, is baptized.
972- Geisa, Duke of Hungai-y, begins to introduce Chi-is-
997 tianity into his States. . ,, ^ , • ah
998 Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, adds to the feas of All
Saints a commemoration of the souls of the faith-
ful departed. Feast of All Souls (page 111).
The twenty-six Popes of the tenth century are:
DIED
120. Benedict rv 903
121. LeoV 903
laj. Christophoi-us 90*
123. SergiusllI 911
124. Anastasius III »J3
125. Landus 914
126. JohnX g8
127. Leo VI 923
128. Stephen VIII 931
129. John XI ^
130. Leo VII 939
131. Stephen IX 9*2
132. Marinus II 946
133. Agapitus I£ *»
DIBD
134. JohnXII 964
135. Benedict V 9»
136. John Xni 9ra
137. Benedict VI 9^
138. DomnusII 9^
139. Benedict VU w4
140. John XIV 985
141. Boniface VII »&
142. JohnXV WJ
143. JohnXVI 996
It: ?JgfFviIv;.;.-.;.v.:::: |
146. Sylvester II IWB
The Eleventh Century,
OB
The Century of Pope St. Gregory VII.
I0I4 The saintly Henry II. is crowned Emperor of Ger-
many (page 200).
1054 Second controversy on the doctrine of the Keal Pres-
ence. Michael Cerularius completes the severance *
of the Greek from the Roman Catholic Church
(page 223).
1059 To the College of Cardinals is given the right of
electing the Popes (page 137).
1073 Hildebrand, a monk of Cluny, who for thirty-three
years had exercised a powerful influence in the gov-
ernment of the Church, becomes Pope, as Gregoiy
VII. As supreme Pontiff, he works with equal energy
298
A.D.
1076
to
1077
1084
1085
1088
1095
1099
CHIUST m UIS CUUUCII.
for the advancement of leai-ning and piety among
the clergy and for the liberation of the Church
from civil encroachments. Rise of universities
under the special influence and protection of the
Church. Rise of Scholasticism.
Henry IV. of Germany is excommunicated, and
goes to Canossa to implore jiardon of the Pope
(pages 253 and 272).
Bruno of Cologne establishes the Carthusians.
Death of Pope Gregory VII.
Death of Berengarius, who denied the doctrine of the
Real Presence.
Enthusiasm for the first Crusade preached by Peter
the Hermit (page 1G3).
Jerusalem captured by the Christians under Godfrey
de Bouillon (page 1G4).
The eighteen Popes of the eleventh century are;
DIED
147. JohnXVni 1003
148. JohnXIX 1009
149. Sergius IV 1012
150. Benedict Vm 1084
151. John XX 1088
158. Benedict IX 1044
158. Gregory VI. (abdicated
in 1046)
154. Clement II 1047
155. DamasusU 1018
DIED
156. St. Leo IX 10&4
157. Victor II 1057
158. Stephen X 1068
150. BenedictX . . 1059
160. Nicholas II 1061
161. Alexander II 1078
168. St. Gregory Vn. 1085
168. Victor III. 1087
iOl. Urbanll 1099
The Twelfth Century,
OB
The Cextury of the Crusades axd of the Knights
Errant .
A.D,
iii8- Establishment of the Orders of Knight-Templars and
1 120 of Knights of St. John (page 167).
1 122 Agreement made between Pope Calixtns II. and the
Emperor Heniy V. of Germany, by which the free
THE TWELFTH CENTURY.
299
A.D.
ZZ23
"39
"47-
"49
"52
to
1 190
"53
1 170
"79
election of bishops is guaranteed to the chapters of
the respective cathedrals, subject to the approval of
the Pope (page 143).
Kinth General Council, at Rome, declares and main-
tains the independence and freedom of the Church
from the civil power of the Emperor (page 126).
Tenth General Council at Eomc condemns the sedi-
tious demagogue, Arnold of Brescia (page 126).
The Second Crusade is preached by St. Bernard
(page 164).
The haughty Emi)eror Frederic Barbarossa opens a
controversy between the Empire and the Papacy
•which lasts more tlian a hundred years.
Death of St. Bernard (page 163).
St. Thomas A Becket, the holy Archbishop of Can-
terbury, is murdered at the foot of the altar (page
254). Death of St. Isidore (page 205),
Eleventh General Council, at Rome, in which the
errors of the Albigenses and Waldenses ai*e con-
demned (pages 126 and 225).
The Third Crusade (page 163).
The seventeen Popes of the twelfth century are:
DIED
165. Pa.schal II ms
166. Gelasiu.qII mg
167. Calixtus II 1134
168. HonoriusII I130
169. Innocent II 1143
170. Celestine II 1144
171. Lucius II 1145
172. B. EugeniusIU 1153
173. AnastasiusIV 1154
DIED
174. Adrian IV 1159
175. Alexander III 1181
176. Lucius III 1185
177. Urban III ii87
178. Gregory VIII 1187
179. Clement lU 1191
180. Celestine III 1198
181. Innocent 111 12I8
IE'
w
300 CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
The Thirteenth Century,
OB
The Century of St. Francis and St. Dominic.
A.D.
During this century the Papacy attains great power
under the pontificate of Pope Innocent III., who
died in 1216 (page 16S).
1204 The Fourth Crusade (page 163).
1215 Pope Innocent III. sanctions the Mendicant Order of
St. Francis of Assisi (page 168), and that of St. Domi-
nic (page ITl ). Twelfth General Council, at Eome,
rejects the errors of Bereugarius, which had before
been refuted, and more firmly establishes and eluci-
dates the true Catholic doctrine by the adoption of
the term transnbstantiation. At the same Council
the dogmas of the Blessed Trinity and of the Incar-
nation of the Son of God, both of which have ever
been taught and believed in the Church, are reaf-
firmed and clearly and briefly formulated (page 126).
The obligation of yearly Confession, and of receiv-
ing Holy Communion at Easter, is imposed upon all
(page 91).
1219- Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Crusades, in the second of
1270 which St. Louis is taken prisoner (page 165).
1245 Thirteenth General Council, at Lyons, in which all
Christendom is exhorted to take up arms and defend
itself against the incursions of the Saracens (page
126).
1245 The Western Carraellites are enrolled among the
Mendicant Orders.
1246 Institution of the Feast of Corpus Christi (page 103).
1250 Frederick II. of Germany is reconciled to the
Church, and dicG December 13.
\- The pious Rudolph of Hapsburg is Emi)eror.
thp: thirteenth century.
801
to
lagi }
A.D.
1274 Fourteenth General Council, at Lyons, in which the
ancient doctrine of the Procession of the Holv Ghost
from the Father and Son is renewed and confirmed,
and the union of the Greek and Roman Churches is
established, to be severed again after a short time
(page 127). St. Thomas of Aquin dies while on his
way to this Council, and St. Bonaventure during its
sitting.
1294 Pope Benedict VIII. has a contest with the insolent
Philip the Fair of France, who is seizing the prop-
erty and revenue of the Church.
During this century are founded the Universities of
Oxford (1249), Cambridge (1257), Vicenza (1204),
Padua (1222), Naples (1224), Vercelli (1228), Pia-
cenza(1246), Treviso (1260), Ferrara (1264) Perugia
(1276), Toulouse (1228), Salaman-ca (1240), and Lis-
bon (1290). The three oldest of the Universities,
namely, of Paris, Bologna, and Salerno, though
begun in the twelfth century, are very flourishing
in this.
The seventeen Popes of the thirteenth century are:
DIED
J82. HonoriusTTI 1227
183. Gregory IX 1241
184. CelestinelV 1341
185. Innocent IV 1254
186. Alexander IV 1261
187. Urban IV 1264
188. Clement IV 1269
189. B. Gregory X 1276
190. Inuocent V 1278
DIKO
191. Adrian V 1277
192. John XXI 1277
193. Nicholas III ]280
194. Martin IV 1285
19.5. Honorius IV 1287
196. Nicholas IV 1292
197. St. CelestlneV (resigned) 1296
198. Boniface ViU :...,. 1303
A.D.
1305
to
1378
302 CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.
The Fourteenth Century,
OR
The Cextury of the Exiles at Avignon.
Yielding to the pressure of France, the seven Popes
from Clement V. to Gregory XL reside at Avignon,
in France. After the death of Gregory XL, two
Antipopes lay claim to the Chaii* of Peter. The
Council of Pisa (1409), in order to put an end to the ^
schism, declares both elections, that in Rome and the
one in Avignon, null and void, and elect Alexander
V. Christendom is thus distracted into three divi-
sions. The great schism lasts from 1378 to 1417.
13" The Fifteenth General Council, in Vicnne, abolishes
the Order of Knight Templars, at the instance of
Philip the Fair (page 167). The Fratricelli, Apos-
tolicals, Beghards, and Beguines, associations which,
though originally formed with pious and charitable
intentions, fell into excesses, and even into heresy,
are condemned.
Raymond LuUus is martyred at Tunis (page 61).
Cola di Rienzi, the tribune of the people, re-establishes
the Roman Republic.
The Black Plague, a malignant contagious fever,
ravages Europe and leads to a revival of peniten-
tial severity. A body of religious, calling themselves
Flagellants, go about scourging themselves in order
to avert God's anger. Starting with the best of
motives, they finally become presumptuous and self-
sufficient, and rejecting with contempt whatever
comes from the Church, they are suppressed.
1360 The heretic Wickliffe disquiets England (page 227).
1361- Death of the Mystics (puge 226), Tauler (1361), Suso
1381 (1365), and Ruysbroch (1381).
1393 Murder of St. Johu X'epomuconc (page 105).
131S
1347
1349
THE FIFTEENTH CENTrUY.
The fourteen Popes of this century are:
803
DIED
199. B. Benedict XI 1304
200. Clement V. (at Avignon) 1314
201. John XXII. " •• 1334
203. Benedict XII. " '• 1*42
203. Clement VI. " " 1352
204. Innocent VI. " " 1362
2aj. B. Urban V. " " 1370
212. John XXni
DIED
20G. Gregory XI. (restored
See to Rome) 1378
207. Urban VI 1389
208. Boniface IX 1404
209. Innocent VII. (resigned 1406)
210. Gregory XII. (resigned 1409)
211. Alexander V 1410
(resigned 1415)
The Fifteenth Century,
OR
AD.
The Century of Genuine Reformation.
1431
to
1449
1409 The Council of Pisa.
1414 The Sixteenth General Council, at Constance, in
which the dismal divisions caused by the Anti-
popes are healed and the errors of Huss and
Wickliffe (pages 127 and 227) are condemned.
1419 John Huss is burned at the stake (page 227). Death
of the great Dominican St. Vincent Ferrer.
Seventeenth General Council, at Basel. It is con-
tinued by that of Ferrara, in 1438, and of Florence,
in 1439 (page 127).
1440 Invention of printing.
1453 Capture of Constantinople by the Turks (page 224).
1457 St. Francis of Paula founds the Order of Minims.
1492 Discovery of America (page 62). Overthrow of Sara-
cens in Spain by Ferdinand the Ciitholic.
1494 An altar erected on t]ie island of Ilayti (page 69).
This century is fruitful in eminent holy men, as St.
Vincent Ferrer, St. Bernardin of Sienna, St. Francis of
Paula, Thomas A Kempis, author of " The Imitation of
Christ," the learned theologian Gerson, the noble Cardinal
Nicholas of Cusa, the great preacher John Geiler.
The nine Popes of this century are:
DIED ' DIED
213. Martin V 1431 I 218. Paul II 1471
214. EngeniusIV 1447' 219. Sixtus IV , 1484
215. NicholasV 1455:220. Innocent VIII 1492
216. CalixtusIII 145R 221. Alexander VI 1503
217. Pius II 14641
304
CliniST IS HIS ClILIUJI.
The Sixteenth Century,
OR
The Century of Sham Reformation.
A.D.
15 12 The Eighteenth General Council, at Rome (page 127) .
1514 Cardinal Ximenes publishes a polyglot Bible, contain-
to ing Hebrew, Chaldaic, Greek, and other versions.
1517 He also publishes dictionaries and grammars to aid
in the acquiring of the biblical languages. This
eminent man, at once a statesman, warrior, scholar,
and saint, dies in 1517.
151 7 To the process of genuine reformation succeeds a false
one, not improving morals, but attacking ancient
belief and practices ; not harmonizing, but dividing
Christendom (page 228). The so-called reformers
Luther (page 234) and his friend Melancthon (page
240).
iS^S Francis I. of France strives for Church unity in his
to own country, and at the same time helps the
f547 " Reformation" in Germany.
1518-Zwingli preaches against the Pope (page 23G). John
1564 Calvin (page 237).
1521 Charles V. of Spain, Emperor of Germany, opposes
the ** Reformation."
1524 Gustavus Vasa, of Sweden, introduces Protestantism
into his countrv.
1525 The Peasants' war, in which it is computed a hundred
thousand men fell in battle, spreads throughout
Germany.
1526 The Capuchins, a branch of the Franciscans, is
founded by ^latthew Bassi (page 170).
1527 The Catholics of Antwerp publish a polyglot Bible.
1529 The Turks before the gates of Vienna.
1531- Religious wars in Switzerland (1531), in Germany
1588 (1546), and in France (15G2-1588) (page 240).
THE SIXTEENTH CENTUKY.
305
A.D.
1534
1535
153$;
1537
1542
1545
to
•563
1546
1548
1551
1552
1555
to
1598
1556
1558
Henry VIII. of England, who at one time defends the
Church against Luther, now embraces Protestant-
ism in order to freely indulge his passions. Luther
publishes his Bible. The Anabaptists take posses-
sion of Munster, but are finally subdued, and their
leader, John of Leyden, is executed (1536).
St. Ignriius of Loyola founds the Society of Jesus,
which is confirmed in 1540 by Pope Paul III. (page
173).
Death of Erasmus, "the scholar of Rotterdam."
Apostolic brief of Pope Paul III. against enslaving
the American Indians (page 65). St. Angela Merici
founds the Order of Ursulines (page 180)..
St. Francis Xavier carries the faith to the East Indies
(page 58).
>iineteentli General Council, at Trent, in which the
errors of the so-called Reformers are rejected and
condemned (page 127).
Death of Martin Luther (page 235).
St. Philip Neri founds the Order of the Blessed Trin-
ity, which later on takes the name of the Oratory.
Blessed Peter Canisius labors for the faith in Austria.
He succeeds in stopping the advance of heresy, and
brings back to the Church most of those who had
gone over to Protestantism. He renders great ser-
vice to both clergy and laity by the publication
(1554) of a Larger and Smaller Catechism, and is
called to his reward in heaven in 1597.
Death of St. Francis Xavier (page 59).
Philip II. of Spain contends for the unity of the
Church, though sometimes with questionable
means.
Death of St. Ignatius of Loyola (page 173).
Elizabeth becomes Queen of England, persecutes the
Catholics, and beheads her cousin, Mary Queen of
Scots.
306
A.D.
CIimST IN HIS CHURCH.
1562 to 1588 Huguenot wars in France (page 240).
1566 Death of Las Casas (page Gi).
1572 The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day (page 240).
1579 The Socinians, a heretical sect, arise in Poland.
1582 Death of St. Teresa.
1584 Death of St. Charles Borromeo (page 193.)
The seventeen Popes of the sixteenth century are:
OIKD
222. Pins III 1303
223. Julius II 1313
2U. LeoX 1521
223. Adrian VI 1523
22». Clement VII 15.^
227. Paul III 1549
228. Julius III 1555
229. MarcellusII 1555
S80. Paul IV 1569
DIED
231. Pius IV I5(i5
2:J2. St. Pius V 1572
233. Gregory XIU 1585
2*4. SixtusV 1590
235. Urban VII 1590
236. Gregory XIV 1591
237. Innocent IX 1592
238. Clement Vm 1605
The Seventeenth Century,
OR
A.D.
1607
161O
I618
to
1648
X62O
%622
1629
1630
1637
TffR Century of the Thirty Years' AVar.
Death of the Church historian Cardinal Baronins.
The Visitation Nuns founded by St. Francis of
Chantal.
For thirty years a religious war rages in Germany,
which is concluded by a treaty kno»vn as the Treaty
of Westphalia, the execution of which is guaranteed
by France and Sweden, the two countries that had
done most to ruin Germany (page 241).
Death of the theologian Bellarmin.
Death of St. Francis of Sales. St. Vincent of Paul
founds the Order of Priests of the Mission or
Lazarists.
St. Vincent of Paul establishes the Sisters of Charity
(l>agc 182).
Rationalistic Deism in England.
Death of the great theologian Cornelius d Lapide.
TUE EIGHTEENTH CENTUKY.
307
A n
1643 Louis XIV. becomes King of France.
1649 Lord Baltimore promulgates religious freedom to all
settlers in his colony (page 63). Charles L of Eng-
land is made prisoner and beheaded.
1650 George Fox, an Englishman, founds the sect of the
Quakers.
1658 Death of Cromwell, '' The Protector," of England.
1660 Death of St. Vincent de Paul.
1662 The Order of Trappists founded by Bouthillier de
llance.
1678 Bishop Francis Stephen, of Pamiers, is condemned
by Louis XIV. to lose the temporalities of his dio-
cese because he rebukes the king for unjust and
despotic actions in his dealings with the Church.
i68i Father J. B. De La Salle founds the Society of the
Christian Brothers (page 180).
1683 The Siege of Vienna by the Turks is raised by the
Catholic king John Sobieski.
1697 The Peace of Ryswick declares that the Catholic re-
ligion shall remain in the German countries occu-
pied by France.
The eleven Popes of the seventeenth century are:
DIED
239. Leo XI 1605
240. Paul V 1621
241. Gregory XV 1623
242. Urban Vm 1644
243. InnocentX 1655
244. Alexander VII 1667
DIED
245. Clement IX 1669
246. Clement X 1676
247. Innocent XI 1689
248. Alexander vni 1691
»49. InnocentXII 1700
The Eighteenth Century,
OR
The Century of Revolution and of Anti-Christian
Philosophy.
A.D
1725 Pope Benedict XIII. convokes the Council of the
Lateral! for the repression of abuses.
308
A.D.
1729
1738
1732
1753
1764
1773
1775
1776
T780
to
1796
1785
CHRIST IX HIS CHURCH.
John Wesley founds the sect of the Methodists.
Pope Clement XII. issues a bill condemning the
Order of Freemasons.
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Rc-
demptorists) is founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori
(page 175).
France, where, during the reign of Louis XIV., the
higher classes became addicted to unbelief and loose
morals, becomes the theatre on which the pretended
philosophers Voltaire, Rousseau, D'Alembert, Dide-
rot, and other atheists and enemies of the Jesuits,
chiefly in their great Encyclopaedia, make war on
Christianity and prepare the way for the Revolu-
tion.
The Jesuits arc suppressed and persecuted in France
in 1764, in Spain in 1767, and.in Naples in 1768.
The Jesuits are suppressed by a brief of Pope
Clement XIV. (page 174).
The battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill the begin-
ning of the struggle for American Independence.
John Barry, an Irish Catholic, leads the first naval
battle of the American Revolution (page 66).
The United States declares its independence.
Joseph II. of Germany becomes the leader of the
enemies of the Church, and favors Illuminism and
Freemasonry. The electors of Mentz, Treves, and
Cologne, and the Archbishop of Salzburg, forming
the notorious Congress of Ems, draw up a protest,
known as the Pundvation of Ems, in which they
insist on absolute and unrestricted episcopal author-
ity. Tliis protest, aimed at the Holy See, is sent to
Joseph II., who gives it his hearty approval (page
255).
First Catholic congregation organized in New York
(page 72).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
309
A.D.
1789
1790
1792
J793
1794
1799
Outbreak of the French Revolution (page 256).
The National Assembly confiscates all Church
property, and establishes a civil constitution for
the clergy.
Rev. John Carroll is made first Bishop of the United
States.
First Synod of the Catholic Church in the United
States (page 72).
Louis XVI. is beheaded by the revolutionists (page
256). Every vestige of Christianity disappears and
the worship of the Goddess of Reason takes its place
(page 256).
Robespierre decrees the existence of a Supreme Being
and the immortality of the soul. Pius VI. protests
against all these acts, is made prisoner, and Rome
is proclaimed a republic (1798).
Pius VI. dies in exile at Valence (page 256).
The eight Popes of this century are:
DIED
250. Clement XI 1781
251. Innocent Xm 1724
252. Benedict XIII 1730
253! Clement XU 1740 257. Pius VI
DIED
254 Benedict XIV 1758
255. Clement XIIL 1769
256. Clement XIV 1774
1799
The Nineteenth Century,
OB
The Century of the Separation of the Faithful
FROM the Unbelievers.
From the time of the French Revolution, but more
especially during the thirty-two years' reign of the
late Pius IX., opposition to all authority, with un-
belief, immorality, and rebellion, is rampant on one
side, while on the other, faith and religious stead-
fastness grow stronger among Catholics. The various
310
A.D.
i8oo
1803
1804
1806
z8o8
Z809
z8z4
1815
18x7
1825-
1855
1826
l83<^
CllIilST IN 1118 tllLKCJl.
sects, detached from the true faith, full into infidel-
ity; whilst the bonds of belief among the faithful
are drawn closer than ever before.
Pius VII. elected Pope at Venice.
The principalities and possessions of the Church in
Germany are secularized to compensate the civil
princes for their loss of territory on the left bank
of the Rhine.
The Jesuits are restored in Kaples. Pius VII,
crowns Bonaparte Emperor (page 257).
The States of the Church are incorporated into the
French Empire. The Pope is made prisoner and
carried away to Savona (page 257).
The See of Baltimore is raised to an archbishropric.
Daniel O'Connell becomes the leader of the Irish
Catholic party.
After the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte, Pius
VII. returns to Rome and issues a bull re-estab-
lishing the Jesuits. Soon after Napoleon's return
from Elba, the Papal States arc invaded by the
French troops, and the Pope is again obliged to
leave Rome. Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo,
and sentenced to exile for life at St. Helena (page
257).
The States of the Church are restored jn the Vienna
Congress (page 272). Pteligious and ecclesiastical
revival in France by Chateaubriand, Do Maistre,
Lacordairc, and others.
The Irish Emancipation Bill is rejected for the sec-
ond time by the English Parliament.
Persecution of Catholics in Poland and Russia,
especially under the Emperor Nicholas I.
The Episcopacy in England ask for a repeal of the
penal laws against Catholics.
O'Connell is elected to Parliament. Passage of the
Irish Emancipation Bill by the efforts of O'Connell.
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
311
W
A.D.
1836
1843
Z846
1847
1850
1854
x86o
1865
1869
1870
1872
to
1874
187s
1877
1878
Dr. (afterwards Cardinal) Wiseman and O'Conuell
start the Dublin Review,
John Henry Newman (now Cardinal) embraces
Catholicity, and is followed in 1845 by Father F.
W. Faber and Dr. (now Cardinal) Manning (page
276).
Piux IX. begins his pontificate (page 244). Oregon
City becomes an archbishopric.
O'Connell dies while on his way to Rome. St. Louis
becomes an archbishopric.
Catholic hierarchy is re-established in England.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is pro-
mulgated on the 8th of December (page 108).
Massacre of the pontifical army near Castelfidardo
(page 153). The States of the Church are reduced
to the '* Patrimony" of St. Peter (page 147).
Death of Cardinal Wiseman.
Twentieth General Council, at the Vatican, defines
• the Infallibility of the Pope a dogma of faith (pages
125-131).
Rome taken by the Piedmontese army and the tem-
poral powder wrested from the Pope (pages 152 and
258).
Persecution of the Church in Germany, Switzer-
land, and Italy. May laws against the free exercise
of Catholic worship. Expulsion of the religious
orders from Germany, and of the Catholic Bishops
from Germany (page 243). General persecution of
the Catholic press in Europe.
Archbishop McCloskey is made the first American
Cardinal.
The Golden Jubilee of Pope Pius IX.
Death of Victor Emanuel. Death of the great Plus
IX. (page 273). Election of Poi)e Leo XIII. (page
274). The Catholic hierarchy is re-established in
Scotland.
^
<
312
cmUST IN HIS CIICUCII.
1880 The Jesuits aud other religious orders are banished
from France.
1881 Hierarchy in Poland and Russia.
The six Popes of the nineteenth century "ire:
258. Pius JB., from \m to 1^.
io: Pfus Vm.. " 18S» " 1830.
263. LeoXOt
I
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JAN 8 1934
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